LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



OUTLYING EUROPE 



AND THE 



NEARER ORIENT. 



A NAEEATIYE OF EECENT TEAVEL. 



BY 

JOSEPH MOORE. Jr. 



3-7 



'Wandering from clime to clime observant strayed, 
Their manners noted, and their states surveyed." — Pope. 







PHIL ADELPHI A: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

1880. 






w/ 



Copyright, 1880, by J. B. Lippixcott & Co. 



THE LIBRARY! 
OF CONGRESS! 

WASHINGTON] 






INSCRIBED BY PERMISSION 



GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT, 

IX SIXCERE ADMIRATIOX OP AX ILLUSTRIOUS SOLDIER, A PATRIOTIC 

PRESIDEXT, AXD AX UXTIRIXG TRAVELLER; AXD AS A TOKEN OF 

AX EARXEST APPRECIATIOX OF THE COURTESIES WHICH 

HE EXTEXDED TO HIS OBLIGED PRIEXD AXD 

FELLOW-PILGRIM IX THE HOLY LAXD, 

THE WRITER. 



INTEODUCTION. 



The letters from various parts of Europe and the Orient, 
signed "J. M., Jr.," which appeared in the "Philadelphia 
Evening Bulletin" during the last two or three years, were 
written by Mr. Joseph Moore, Jr., a young Philadelphian, 
whose already large circle of appreciative friends was greatly 
augmented as the publication of the correspondence advanced. 
None of these friends, however, can know quite so well as the 
editors of the journal for which he wrote, how carefully, con- 
scientiously, and faithfully he pursued his work, for he com- 
bined work with pleasure in his foreign travels, and was a 
student of the places and the people he saw amid all circum- 
stances, gay as well as serious. 

Yielding to the earnest and not unnatural desire of many 
of the readers of his letters that a record of his journey ings 
should be made in a more convenient and permanent form than 
that of a daily newspaper, Mr. Moore has carefully revised his 
work, and offers it to the public in the volume to which this 
note is prefixed. He has rearranged the materials so as to 
make a continuous narrative, and while eliminating much that 
could be spared in the book form, he has added much that had 
to be omitted in the rapid preparation for the epistolary form. 

5 



Q INTRODUCTION. 

His account of his travels, as now presented, is divided into 
two parts. 

The first part begins with the journey from Paris to Mar- 
seilles, and proceeds to give the writer's observations of Egypt, 
the Nile, the Holy Land, Syria, the islands of the Levant, 
Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Malta, Spain, Portugal, and Western 
France, concluding with his return to the French capital. 

In the second part, desiring to avoid doing over what has 
been done by so many travelled writers, he gives, after leaving 
Paris, only a slight sketch of Belgium, Holland, and the Han- 
seatic cities ; but is more copious in his observations of Den- 
mark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Poland, which are less 
frequently visited by Americans. 

It would perhaps be unbecoming to attempt to influence the 
reader's judgment of Mr. Moore's work by the expression of 
an opinion concerning it which may be biased by personal ac- 
quaintance, and especially by a' knowledge of the earnest and 
intelligent mode in which he studied and wrote of all he saw. 
The book needs no help of this kind. The letters were greatly 
valued by the readers of the newspaper in which they appeared, 
and there can be no doubt that an appreciative public will set 
a greater value upon the volume in which they are presented 
after careful revision and rearrangement. 

PEACOCK, FETHERSTON & CO., 

Proprietors of the " Philadelphia Evening Bulletin." 



AUTHOK'S PEEFACE. 



..... " What is writ, is writ 
"Would it were worthier!" 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 

PAGE 

Paris in Winter — The Start — A Through Billet to Alexandria — Fon- 
tainebleau — The Cote d'Or— Burgundy's Old Capital— Tomb of 
Duke Jean sans Peur — Architectural Eelics — A Conflagration at 
Dijon — Provincial Tire Apparatus — Kich Vineyards — A Wine 
Town — Reflections on Macon's Cathedral — Lyons in the Revolu- 
tion — A Modern Manufacturing City — Silks and Velvets — Court- 
ing American Trade — Koman and Papal Kemains — Marseilles and 
its Harbors — The Palais de Longchamps — Notre Dame de la Garde 
— The Chateau d'lf — An Afternoon's Pleasure — The Cafe Reserve 
and Bouillabaise — Aboard the Steamer Said — The Compagnie des 
Messageries Maritimes — Farewell to France — Corsica, Elba, and 
Monte Christo — Deck Scenes in the Bay of Naples — Passing Sicily 
and Mount Etna — Christmas at Sea — A Ship's Doctor — Sighting 
the African Coast — A Swarm of Natives — Landing at Alexandria 
— Passports and Baksheesh ........ 25 

II. 

ALEXANDRIA. 

Its Cosmopolitan Aspect — Curiosities of the Currency — A Street 
Panorama — The Fellaheen and their Donkeys — Native Bazaars 
and Cafes — Motley Architecture — The City's Past and Present — 
Cleopatra's Needles — Origin of the Name — The Story of their 
Creation — A Conflict of Measurements — Location of the Granite 
Quarries — Mohammed Ali's Present to England — Condition of the 

2 9 



10 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

London Obelisk — Its Hieroglyphic Inscription — Pompey's Pillar 
— A Mohammedan Funeral — Appearance of the Cemetery — The 
Bailway to Cairo — Incidents at a Buffet Station — Arabs Dining en 
Famille 39 



III, 

CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 

Divisions of the City — Sights at the Hotel Gates — Cairene Equipages 
— The Fleet Syce — The Khedive Ismail — His Palaces, "Wives, and 
Slaves — Saladin's Citadel — Mosque of Mohammed Ali — Assault 
and Battery an Amusement — Joseph's "Well — Sunset from the Cit- 
adel — The Leading Mosques — A Native University — In the Ba- 
zaars — Missionary Schools — Mariette Bey and his Mission — An 
Afternoon at Old Cairo — Dancing and Howling Dervishes — The 
Island of Ehoda — Description of the Nilometer — The Finding of 
Moses — Early Coptic Churches — A Journey on Dromedaries — 
Tombs of the Seven Caliphs — A Petrified Forest — The Koad to 
the Great Pyramids — Annoyance Extraordinary — Ascent of Cheops 
— Origin and Purpose of the Pyramids — The Sphinx and its Inter- 
pretation — In the Land of Goshen — Ancient Heliopolis — The Sol- 
itary Obelisk — A Talk with Henry M. Stanley — His "Work in the 
" Dark Continent" — General Grant in Cairo 48 



IV. 

THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 

A Plea for Toleration — Inception and Spread of the System — Origin 
of the Crescent — Prominent Mosques — Mohammed's Early Life — 
Discovery of His Mission — He Keceives Bevelations — Persecution 
of the Faithful— The Hejrah, or Flight to Medina— Conflicts be- 
tween the Moslems and Meccans — The Prophet's Triumph at Mecca 
— His Last Illness and Death — The Muslim Creed — How far Christ 
is Accepted — Cardinal Points of Practice — The Muezzin's Call — 
"Witnessing a Service — The Fast of Kamadan — Sketch of the Pil- 
grimage to Mecca — The Bites in the Holy City — Particulars of the 
Hadj of 1878 — Composition of the Koran — Speculation on its Crea- 
tion — Mohammed's Passion for Female Beauty — Opportune Bev- 
elations — The Prophet's Characteristics— Crescent and Cross 66 



CONTEXTS. 1 1 



V. 

ASCENT OF THE KILE. 

PAGE 

The Voyage by Sail and by Steam — Comparative Expense and Dura- 
tion — Outfit of the Mehallah — A Dragoman's Troubles — Departure 
from Cairo — The Eiver Panorama — Moored for the Night — The 
Overflow of the Nile — Tax-Gathering by the Whip — An Evening 
on the Steamer — A Donkey Cavalcade — On the Site of Memphis — 
The Sakkarah Pyramids — Worship of the Bull — Annoyance from 
the Natives — Kelics in the Fayoom — Dryness of the Atmosphere 
— The Khedive's Sugar-Eactories — Tombs of Beni Hassan — The 
Sacrifice of Antinous — A Village by Night — Character of the Nile 
— A Provincial Capital — An Arab Nuptial Bower — Coptic Mon- 
asteries — Dates and Pottery at Keneh — The Eirst Warm Weather 
— The Temple of Denderah — Dedication to the Egyptian Venus — 
General Plan of a Temple — The Kosetta Stone — Translating the 
Hieroglyphics — Accouchement of a Goddess . . . .84 



VI. 

UPPER EGYPT. 

The Rendezvous at Luxor — Hospitality of the American Consul — 
Notes on the Climate — Primitive Irrigation — The Barrage of the 
Nile — Thebes and its Magnitude — A Valley of Tombs — The Mem- 
nonium of Barneses — The Colossi of Thebes — Grandeur of the Me- 
dinet Abou Temple — Bemnants of the Luxor Temple — The Won- 
ders of Karnak — Splendid Obelisks — Karnak by Moonlight — The 
Dancing Girls of the Nile — A Portico of the Boman Era — Perfec- 
tion of the Edfoo Temple — Ptolemaic Ruin at Kom-Ombo — Ap- 
proaching the First Cataract — Outline of the Egyptian Faith — The 
Book of the Dead — Mission of the God Osiris — The Southern Cross 
— Moored at Assouan — Quarries at Syene — Ruins of a Nilometer 
— A Bide into Nubia — The Sorrow of Parting — On the Island of 
Philge— Pharaoh's Bed— The Temple of Isis— Nature of the Cat- 
aracts — Sights Among the Nubians — The Return Voyage — Meeting 
with General Grant — Expedition to Abydos — The Egyptian Holy 
Sepulchre — Native Abuse of the Eyesight — Nearing Cairo — A 
Tribute to Egypt 103 



12 CONTENTS. 



VII. 

THE NILE IN NUBIA, 

PAGE 

On Board the Steamer Nile — Bound for the Second Cataract — Steam- 
boat vs. Dahabeeah — Camels as Beasts of Burden — The Temple of 
Dabod — Early Egyptian Worship — A Similarity to the Trinity — 
Attributes of the Godhead — The Straits of Kalabsheh — A Kock 
Temple — Origin and Uses of the Temples — Glorifying the King — 
A Curious Sanctuary — An Ethiopian Temple — The First Crocodile 
■ — A Nubian Landscape — Beauties of the Sunset — Analyzing the 
Nile Scenery — Nubians and their Costume — Shadowy Palms and 
Golden Sands — Illness of a Passenger — The Projected Railway to 
Khartoum — A Desert Hide — The Second Cataract — Death on the 
Steamer — Beading the Burial Service — The Temple of Aboo Sim- 
bel — Colossal Statues of Barneses the Great — Interior of the Great 
Rock Temple — Egyptian Sculpture and Painting — The Triad of 
the Cataracts — Derr and its People — A Buried Temple — Philae 
Again . - . . . 124 

VIII. 

FROM CAIRO TO JAFFA. 

Bival Hotels at Cairo — Travelling with a Dragoman — Ruined Cities 
of Lower Egypt — Crossing the Desert by Rail — Ismailia — The 
Eresh-Water Canal — An Engineering Blunder — Chalet of M. de 
Lesseps — Through the Suez Canal — Enterprise of the Pharaohs 
and Ptolemies — Napoleon's Project to Unite the Two Seas — Plan 
of the Present Canal — Aggregate Cost of the Work — Tariff for the 
Passage — Topography and Dimensions — Composition and Revenues 
of the Company — Scene in a Canal Buffet — A Tough Meal — Port 
Said and its New Hotel — An Austrian Lloyd Steamer — Landing 
in Palestine — Official Depravity — Jaffa and its Biblical Associa- 
tions — The Orange Trade — An American Colony .... 143 

IX. 

THE HOLT LAND. 

Mode of Travel — Syrian Horses — The Plain of Sharon — A Palestine 
Inn — Decayed Ramleh — The Rainy Season — A Stormy Ride — 
"Wjetched Quarters — Joshua's Exploit with the Sun — Entering the 



CONTENTS. 13 

PAGE 

Holy City — Pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre — Where the Cross 
Stood on Calvary — A Day's Work in and about Jerusalem — 
Journey to the Dead Sea and River Jordan — Escorted by Bedouins 
— Ruined Bethany — Tomb of Moses — The Dead Sea and its Sur- 
roundings — A Drove of Wild Boars — Characteristics of a Syrian — 
The Banks of Jordan — Pera?a — On the Plain of Jericho — The Vil- 
lage Inn — Ancient Jericho — A Roadside Lunch — Return to Jeru- 
salem — Reception to General Grant — The Road to Bethlehem — 
Church of St. Mary — Grotto of the Nativity — Monkish Hospitality 
— The Monastery of Mar Saba — On the Mount of Olives — General 
Grant with Godfrey de Bouillon's Sword — Muristan of the Knights 
of St. John — The Mosque of Omar — Moslem Tests of Salvation — 
Mount Moriah — A Nail Story — The Overland Route to Damascus 
— Storm-Bound — Pressing Through to Jaffa — The ex-President 
and his Young Friends . . . . . . . . .152 



Departure of General Grant — Moonlight on the Mediterranean — 
Beirut from the Sea — Sketch of the City — The Syrian Protestant 
College — American Missionary Schools — Circassian Refugees — A 
Party at the U. S. Consulate — The Diligence Road to Damascus — 
Belated in the Lebanon Mountains — The World's Oldest City — In 
the Bazaars — A Specimen of Shopping — Damascus Swords — Ori- 
ental Baths, Coffee, and Pipes — Resistance to European Innovations 
— The Great Mosque and its Minarets — Tombs of the Saracen 
Leaders — A Damascene Residence — The Street Which is Called 
Straight — Conversion of Saul of Tarsus — Syrian Women on the 
Promenade — A Caravan from Bagdad — Zenobia's City of Palmyra 
— The Night Post to Shtora — Syrian Road Pictures — An Oppor- 
tune Meeting — Baalbek's Place in History — Ruins of the Acropolis 
— Temple of the Sun — Three Gigantic Stones — The Temple of 
Jupiter — Its Architectural Richness — Ancient Mode of Quarrying 
Monoliths — Baalbek of the Present — Modern Rebekahs — A Mis- 
sionary's Home .......... 179 

XL 

ALOXG THE LEVANT. 

Boarding the Saturno — A Motley Throng — Efforts to Prevent Sea- 
Sickness — A Storm off Cyprus — Landing at Larnaka — General di 



14 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Cesnola's Excavations — Cyprus in History — Birth of Yenus — Ex- 
humed Cities and Treasures — Collection in the Metropolitan Mu- 
seum of New York — Cypriote Art — Calling at Rhodes — The Order 
of St. John of Jerusalem — Street of the Knights — The Colossus 
of Ehodes — Among the Sporades — The Chewing-Gum of Scio — 
An International Naval Station — Smyrna and its Exports — Rise 
and Fall of Ephesus — The Temple of Diana — Unearthing the 
Ruins — Legend of the Seven Sleepers — The Kindred of Country 
— Sappho's Isle — Besika Bay — The Plain of Troy — Site of the Lost 
City — Dr. Schliemann's Discoveries — Mythological History — The 
Ten Years' Siege — Homer and the Iliad — In the Dardanelles — 
Starved to Death — Moslem Fanaticism — Hero and Leander — Stra- 
tegic Value of Gallipoli — A Monster Ironclad — Approach to the 
Turkish Capital 204 

XII. 

TURKEY. 

Constantinople — Its Topography — The Golden Horn — Modes of Lo- 
cal Transit — Natural Advantages of the City — Beview of its His- 
tory — Dynasty of the Osmanli Sultans — The Sublime Porte — 
Splendor of the Mosque of Santa Sophia — The Holy Shrine of 
Eyoub — State Mosque of Turkey — Feeding the Pigeons and Dogs 
— Tombs of the Sultans — The Seraglio — Kiches of the Treasury — 
An Imperial Cage — Beminiscence of Florence Nightingale — A 
Theatre in Pera — Types of Life on the Streets — Panorama of the 
Bosphorus — The Mobile Bocks of the Argonauts — Evidences of 
the Late War — Destitute Befugees — Bavages of Disease — A De- 
throned Sultan — The Bussian Camp at San Stefano — Funeral of a 
Prince — Bussian Officers in the City — Moslem Festivals . . 224 

XIII. 

GREECE. 

Sunset on the Bosphorus — Minister Maynard's Farewell — Among 
the Cyclades — A Levantine Entrepot — Sacred Delos — Parian Mar- 
ble — Arrival at the Piraeus — First Glimpse of the Acropolis — 
Modern Athens — Greece under Turkish Bule — The War of Inde- 
pendence — Protectorate of the Allied Powers — Abdication of King 
Otho — The Present Youthful Monarch — Liberality of the Con- 
stitution — Appeal for American Sympathy — Views from the Hotel 



CONTENTS. 15 

PAGE 

Balcony — Albanian Regiments — The Maid of Athens — Remains 
of the Olympium — Ruins under the Wall of the Acropolis — The 
Doric Propylsea — Outline of the Acropolis — In the Parthenon — A 
Mythical Hero — Design of the Erechtheum — Workshop of Phidias 
— Court of the Areopagus — Stadium for the Olympian Games — 
Escorted by Greek Cavalry — The Field of Marathon — Eleusinian 
Mysteries — Xerxes at Salamis 240 

XIV. 

SICILY. 

Phosphorescent Light — An Italian Steamer — Sighting Crete — The 
Port of Catania — Sham Nobility — A Sicilian Cathedral — The Le- 
gend of St. Agatha — Fountain of the Elephant — Mount Etna and 
its Eruptions — Polyphemus and Galatea — Misfortunes of Ulysses 
— Beauty of the Coast — Night in the Strait of Messina — Charybdis 
and Scylla — The Fata Morgana — Appearance of Messina — The 
Virgin's Letter — Renting Sepulchres — The Sicilian Arms — Strom- 
boli — Home of the "Winds — The Golden Shell — Streets of Palermo 
— A Gorgeous Chapel — The Wonder of Monreale — Cause of the 
Sicilian Vespers— Incident of the Outbreak — A Girgenti Hotel — 
Decayed Agrigentum — Its Ruined Temples — Dining Extraordinary 
— The Sulphur Districts — Tradition of Cape Santa Croce — Syracuse, 
Present and Past — Ruins of the Ancient City — Ear of Dionysius 
— Story of Arethusa — The Landolina Venus .... 257 

XV. 

MALTA AND GIBRALTAR. 

Sicilian Pets — A Modern Minotaur — English Society at Malta — Its 
Amusements — Expulsion of the Order of St. John — Relics of 
Knightly Supremacy — Excursion to the Interior — Citta Vecchia — 
St. Paul's Shipwreck and Cave — Grotto of Calypso — Aboard an 
Indiaman — LTnder the British Flag — English Caste — Studying the 
Passengers — A Pompous Admiral — The Belle of the Ship — Hin- 
dostanee Servants — Where Ancient Carthage Stood — Passing Al- 
giers — Landing at The Rock — Physical Aspect of Gibraltar — A 
Glimpse of the Town — Tour of the Fortifications — Their Impreg- 
nability — Value of the Stronghold — View from the Signal Peak . 280 



16 CONTENTS. 



XVI. 

ANDALTJSIAN SPAIN. 

PAGE 

A Doleful Voyage — Nelson's Victory at Trafalgar — Keception at 
Cadiz — Features of the City — The Vineyards at Jerez — Varieties 
of Sherry Wine — An Andalusian Fair — In the Bull-King — Life 
in Seville— An Old Moorish Tower — The Stately Cathedral— Pal- 
ace of the Moors — Murillo and Velazquez — Don Juan and Figaro 
— The Tobacco-Factory — Paintings of the Spanish School — The 
Night-Watchman — A New Kailroad — First Night in Granada — 
Chronicle of the Alhambra — Its Kestoration — Picture of the Ked 
Castle and its Surroundings — Court of the Lions — Brilliant Archi- 
tectural Effects — Washington Irving's Quarters — The Alhambra 
Vase — Gates of the Fortress — Mystic Symbols — Summer Villa of 
the Sultans — Modern Granada — Home of the Gitanas — The Sepul- 
chre of Ferdinand and Isabella — Mateo Ximenes and his Treasures 
— Slow Travel —A Land of Plenty — Cordova in the Past — Spanish 
Imposition — The Great Mosque — A Forest of Columns — Pictur- 
esque Euins — An Expiring City 292 

XVII. 

THE BUIL-FIGHT. 

Origin of the Amusement — A Mediaeval Example — Kesistance to its 
Extinction — Bull-Kings — The Seats and their Cost — Spanish Bulls 
— The Actors — A Full House — Awaiting the Trumpet-Note — The 
Procession of Performers — Entrance of the Bull — Charging a Pic- 
ador — The Defenceless Horse — Flashing the Mantles — Thrusting 
the Darts — Skill of the Matador — Death of the Bull — Duration of 
the Contest — Dangers of the King — A Miraculous Escape — Excite- 
ment of the Spectacle — Its Impression upon Travellers . .319 

XVIII. 

PORTUGAL. 

The Journey from Cordova — Birthplaces of Cortes and Eugenie — The 
Situation of Lisbon — Tracing its History — Discoveries of Portu- 
guese Navigators — Invasion of the French — Features of the City 
— A Splendid Chapel — Portuguese Bull-Fights — Monuments and 



CONTENTS. 1 7 

PAGE 

Squares — Picturesque Life Studies — The Grave of Fielding — King 
Manoel's Convent and its Present Use — A Story of the Piratical 
Florida — Dull Palaces — The Excursion to Cintra — A Moorish Ruin 
— The Castle on the Peak— Views from the Eyrie, by Byron— The 
Cork Convent — Honorius and his Cave — A Nobleman's Villa — 
The Votive Pile at Mafra — Quaintness of Oporto — Its Gold Filigree 
"Work— The Port-Wine Country 328 

XIX. 

CASTILIAN SPAIN. 

The Quicksilver Mines of Almaden — Madrid as a Centre — The Streets 
at Night — Haunts of the Grandees — Alfonso and Mercedes in Pub- 
lic — Church of the Atocha — Places of Amusement — Splendor of 
the Great Palace — The Royal Stables — Historical Relics — Celebrity 
of the Royal Gallery of Paintings — Summary of the Collection — 
A Visit to the Senate and the Cortes — Fortunes of Toledo — Moor- 
ish Remains — Cathedral of the Primate — Its Interior Grandeur — 
A Saintly Legend — Toledo Blades and their Manufacture — The 
Escorial— Philip's Card of Endowment— Outline of the Pile— The 
Pantheon and its Royal Dead — Philip's Cell and his Death — Pres- 
cott's Lines on the Escorial — The Great Northern Express Train 
— An Old Spanish Capital — Interesting Reminiscences — Where 
Columbus Died — Disposition of his Remains — Midnight Welcome 
to Burgos — A City of the Past — Story of the Cid— Strange Honors 
to the Dead Champion — Spain's Richest Cathedral — A Historic 
Fortress — Castilian Pride 343 

XX. 

THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 

The Basques — Beauty of their Provinces — A Spanish Waterloo — 
St. Sebastian and its Siege — On the Frontier — L'He de la Confer- 
ence — French Courtesy and Spanish Pirates — Imperial Biarritz — 
Sea-Shore Beauty — Sketch after a Storm — The Silent Bernardines 
— An Afternoon at Bayonne — Invention of the Bayonet — The 
Villa Eugenie — Aspect of the Landes — Bordeaux — Its Architec- 
tural Beauties — In the Wine-Cellars — Classification of Red Wines 
— Facts Relating to Vineyards — Celebrated Districts — The Sau- 
ternes of the Gironde — A New Watering-Place — The First-Class 
Express — Poitiers and its Battles — A Glimpse of Tours — The Maid 
of Orleans — Home Abroad 365 



18 CONTENTS. 



PART II. 
XXI. 

BELGIUM. 



PAGE 



Paris en Fete — Pencillings by Night — A Eeluctant Departure — St. 
Denis and Chantilly — The Old Castle of Ham — A Frontier Inspec- 
tion — The Flax District — Modern Brussels — The War for Inde- 
pendence — Art Museums — The Hotel de Ville — Employment for 
Dogs — Lace Factories — The Operatives — Process of Manufacture — 
The Field of Waterloo— Order of the Battle— Events of the Mem- 
orable Day — The Memorial Mound — Trials of Antwerp — Orna- 
mentation of its Churches — Associations of Kubens — Flemish Art 
—The Docks on the Scheldt : 381 

XXII. 

HOLLAND. 

A Dutch Landscape — Novel Mode of Defence — The Windmills — 
Quaint Eotterdam — Statue of Erasmus — Schiedam and Delft — 
Origin of the Hague — The Present City — The House in the Woods 
• — King William and his Queens — Dutch Masters of Painting — 
The Beach at Scheveningen — Leyden University — The Haarlem 
Organ — Draining a Lake — Metropolis of the Netherlands — A City 
of Canals — Protestant Churches— The Galleries of Amsterdam — 
Gerard Dow's Masterpiece — The Diamond Mart of the World — 
Among the Lapidaries — Breaking and Polishing the Stones — 
Forms of Cutting — Location of the Diamond Fields — Celebrated 
Gems c . . . ... .392 

XXIII. 

NORTHERN GERMANY. 

German Kailroads — Friesland — Sir Philip Sidney at Zutphen — Osna- 
briick and the Peace of Westphalia — The City of Bremen — Its 
Port at Bremerhaven — The Gothic Eathhaus — Great Casks in the 
Eathskeller — Deliberations Under the Eose — The Symbolic Eoland 
— A Eemarkable Cellar — Leutze's Familiar Picture — Meyer von 
Bremen — Over the Elbe — The Eecord of Hamburg — Features of 
the City— The Jungfernstieg — A Walk along the Harbor — The 



CONTENTS. 19 



PAGE 

Art Gallery — Church of St. Nicholas — Its Lofty Spire — Compara- 
tive Heights— Through Holstein — Lubeck — Mediaeval Brick Ar- 
chitecture — The Dance of Death — A Second Strasburg Clock — The 
Hanseatic League — Causes of its Decline and Extinction .. . 401 

XXIV. 

DENMARK. 

Land Eoute to Copenhagen — Across the Baltic — Impressions of Co- 
penhagen — The Danish Koyal Family — Leading Palaces — Chron- 
ological Collection of Kings — Museum of Northern Antiquities 
— The Stone, Bronze, and Iron Periods — Bertel Thorvaldsen — His 
Career at Kome — A Koyal Welcome Home — The Thorvaldsen 
Museum — Tomb of the Sculptor — Creations of his Genius — The 
Protestant Frue Kirke — Amusements at the Tivoli — A Tour of 
Jutland — Its Landscapes — Excursion to King Canute's Capital — 
Tombs of the Monarchs — The Semiramis of the North — Up the 
Sound — A Maritime Toil-Gate — The Castle at Elsinore — Hamlet's 
Grave and the Ghost's Walk — Saxo's Chronicle of the Prince — Its 
Application by Shakspeare 410 

XXV. 

NORWAY. 

A Danish Steamer — On the Cattegat — Late Twilight — In the Fjords 
— The City of Christiania — Political Status of Norway — The Ber- 
nadotte Dynasty — Norwegian Storthing — Scandinavian Art — 
Scenic Environs — Aspects of Travel in Norway — Journeying by 
Cariole — Norsk Horses — The Posting System — A Model Tour of 
Norway — The Midnight Sun — A Lofty Cataract — Along the Eail 
to Kongsberg — Yawcup, the Post-Boy — Koadside Pictures — Nor- 
wegian Scenery — Bolkesjo and its Owner — Conning the Dagbog — 
Primitive Agriculture — A Log-Cabin Hotel — Specimen Beds — A 
Ludicrous Situation — A Mountain Koad — The Rjukan Falls — 
Bayard Taylor on its Beauty — Church of Staves at Hitterdal — 
Jomfru Hoist and her Parasites — A Tribute to Norway . . 421 

XXVI. 

SWEDEN. 

Leaving Norway — Eailroad Experiences — Gothenburg — Prof. Nor- 
denskjold's Arctic Expedition — Construction of the Gotha Canal — 



20 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The Voyage from Gothenburg to Stockholm — Amusing Effort at 
English — Fellow-Passengers — An Expedition Ashore — The Falls 
of Trollhattan — An Inland Sea — Scenes in the Locks — A Smorgas- 
bord — The Restauration Book — A Maiden Figaro — Storm on Lake 
Wettern — An Industrial Centre — Grave of the De Lesseps of the 
North — Steamer Gossip — Keeping Watch by Moonlight — Beauty 
of the Malar Lake — Stockholm Contrasted with Venice and Am- 
sterdam — Chronicle of the City — Lake Excursions — Honors to 
Americans — Popular Amusements — Jenny Lind and Nilsson — A 
Gaudy Sepulchre — Sweden's Illustrious Dead — Palace of the King 
— Attractions of the National Museum — A Day at Upsala — Grave 
of All-Father Odin — A Coastwise Voyage to Lapland — The Direct 
Eoute to Russia — A Glance at Finland — Southward to Malmo — 
Swedish Hospitality — Recrossing the Baltic — Stralsund . . 436 

XXVII. 

BERLIN AND POTSDAM. 

Environment of the City — Unter den Linden — The Brandenburg 
Gate — Prominent Monuments — The Memorial of Victory — Seeing 
a Palace — Leading Theatres — Kroll's Garden — Recreation in the 
Thiergarten — The Retreat at Charlottenburg — Rauch's Masterpiece 
— A Beautiful Queen — In the Hall of the Reichstag — Sketch of the 
Royal Museum — Kaulbach's Frescos — Extent of the Collections — 
Modern German Art — A Party for Potsdam — Sights in the Town 
— Resting-Place of Frederick the Great — His Favorite Sans Souci 
— Voltaire's Apartments — Extravagance of the New Palace — 
Novelty of its Shell Grotto — In the Gardens of Potsdam — Summer 
Home of the Emperor William 456 

XXVIII. 

RUSSIA. 

Necessity of a Vise — Railway Carriages — Tracing the Route — Ac- 
count of the Teutonic Knights — Konigsberg — The Amber Fishery 
— Formalities at the Russian Frontier — Napoleon at Kowno — 
Muscovite Railroading — Wilna — A Russian Landscape — Pskov 
and St. Olga — Founding of St. Petersburg — Topography of the 
City — Ensemble of the Nevski Prospekt — Its Throng of Life — 
Street Shrines — Driving and Vehicles — Summer in the Islands of 
the Neva — A Valet de Place — Splendor of the Winter Palace — The 
Crown Jewels — Collections in the Hermitage — Summary of Notable 



CONTENTS. 21 



PAGE 



Edifices — Celebrated Monuments — Imperial Tombs in St. Peter 
and St. Paul — Peter the Great's Cottage — Two Grand Cathedrals 
— Outline of St. Isaac's — Its Interior Magnificence — An Hour of 
Service — The Palaces at Peterhof — Barbaric Splendor of Tsarkoe 
Selo — Muscovite Adieus — The Railway to Moscow — Novgorod in 
Eussian History — Monastery of New Jerusalem — Approach to 
Moscow — Immolation of the Holy City — Its Present Divisions — 
Description of the Kremlin — Great Bells — Wealth of the Treasury 
— Eelics of the Old Palace — Cathedrals of the Kremlin — Trophies of 
Ordnance — A Masquerade of Masonry — The Foundling Hospital 
— Minor Sights of Moscow — Piety of the People — Tea Drinking — 
The Fair at Nijni-Novgorod — A Weary Journey — Smolensk — 
Condition of the Peasantry — Nominal Emancipation — The Future 
of Russia 465 

XXIX. 

POLAND. 

Traditional History — Legend of the "White Eagle — Rise in the Elev- 
enth Century — Incursions of the Tartars — Prosperity of the Six- 
teenth Century — Commencement of Decline — King John Sobieski — 
War with Sweden — Jesuitical Dissensions — Dismemberment Began 
— Kosciusko and Poniatowski — The Second Partition — Uprising 
of 1794 — Disintegration of the Kingdom — Napoleon and the Patriot 
Poles — Creation of the Duchy of Warsaw — Revolution of 1830 — 
Poland Crushed and Absorbed — Sketch of Warsaw — Beauty of the 
Polish Women — Stage Dancers — Elements of the Population — 
Notable Buildings — Copernicus and his Monument — Historic Pal- 
aces — Nature of the Country — Experience at the Frontier — Route 
through Austria — The Field of Wagram 505 

XXX. 



A Beautiful City — Luxurious Quarters — A Comely Femme de Cham- 
bre — The Volksgarten — Vienna Beer — The Strauss Brothers — Pub- 
lic Gardens — Remnants of the Exposition of 1873 — A Cook's Ex- 
ploit — Popular Cafe Life — The Graben and its Shops — Street 
Types — Beauty of the Women — A Viennese Funeral — The Grand 
Opera-House — Scenes during a Performance — The Dramatic Stage 
— Pretty Actresses and their Photographs — Eminent Art Collec- 
tions — A Group of Palaces — The Departed Hapsburgs — Maximil- 



22 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

ian's Coffin — Floral Offerings' — The King of Rome and Maria 
Theresa — Disposition of the Imperial Remains — The Hearts Pre- 
served in Urns — Gloom and Sunshine 513 

XXXI. 

THE HIGHWAY TO PARIS. 

A Glimpse of the Austrian Alps — The Ateliers of Munich — Bava- 
rian National Museums — Stained Glass — The Bronze Foundry — 
Schwanthaler's Statue of Bavaria — Prevention of Premature Burial 
— Galleries of Beauty — A Missing Portrait — Eccentricity of the 
King — Stuttgart a Modern City — Stables of King Charles — Villas 
of the Late Monarch — Cannstatt Springs — Approach to Strasburg 
— Effects of German Annexation — The Storks on the Chimney- 
Tops — Repairing the Great Cathedral — Climbing the Spire — Mum- 
mied Bodies — Preparing Pates de Foies Oras — The Chemin de fer 
l'Est — Once more in France — Arrival at Paris — In Acknowledg- 
ment . 519 



PART I. 
A WINTER IN THE SOUTH. 



OUTLYING EUROPE 



AND 



THE NEARER ORIENT. 



CHAPTER I. 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 



Our narrative opens in the month of December. Paris is 
then damp, searching, and passive. The tables fronting the 
caf£s are abandoned for the more genial interior, the Champs 
Elysees are deserted, and the hotel rooms are chilly. Tourists 
have migrated to Italy, loungers to the south of France, and 
General Grant has already sailed from Yille Tranche on his 
Levantine voyage. The Exposition palaces on the Champ de 
Mars are struggling into existence ; the new Avenue de TOpera 
is approaching completion ; and the people are awaiting in pro- 
found suspense the issue of their demand upon the Marshal- 
President for a republican ministry. Six months' absence from 
the magnetic city now implies little sacrifice, and in that oppor- 
tune interval our tour of the Nearer Orient will be consum- 
mated. The discomforts of eastern travel must be endured, 
but the inspiration of wandering among the lost empires of the 
Levant banishes all regret for relinquished luxuries. 

The Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes issues through 

3 25 



26 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

billets from Paris to Alexandria, over the Chemin de fer de 
Paris a Lyon et a M6diterran6e. Passengers embark from 
Marseilles, the home port of the company ; or from Naples, if 
a shorter voyage is desired. Starting from the terminus on 
the Boulevard Mazas, in little more than an hour the train 
whirls past Fontainebleau and its stately forest. There, in the 
great palace, Louis le Grand, in 1686, signed the revocation of 
the Edict of Nantes ; there the unfortunate Marie Antoinette 
lived; and there the great Napoleon abdicated the throne ac- 
quired by his phenomenal leadership. Farther on is Mon- 
tereau Station, where Napoleon routed the Allies in the battle 
of February 18, 1814. Sens and Tonnerre are passed in suc- 
cession, and beyond Montbard the line traverses the mountain 
scenery of the Cote d'Or. Dijon, the leading city of the de- 
partment of the Cote d'Or, is reached by the express in six 
hours from Paris. 

"While under the famous old dukes, Dijon was the capital of 
Burgundy. Their Palace of State, the principal building of the 
city, is used at present as the Hotel de Yille. In one wing 
is the Museum, with an unusually good collection of pictures 
and relics. One of the apartments contains the magnificent 
tomb of Duke Jean sans P'eur. Its sides are profusely orna- 
mented with Gothic carvings and figures of priests, all in mar- 
ble. On top are four angels with large wings, a lion, and full- 
size reclining effigies of the duke and his wife. The ducal 
crown and robes are all in appropriate colors. Close by is the 
similar tomb of one of the other dukes. The old masters are 
well represented through the gallery, though the modern 
painters have the larger share of the space. At intervals in 
the rooms are busts of the distinguished men of Burgundy 
and France in general, including one of Bossuet, who was 
born here. Lamartine, who was a native of Macon, is also 
among the number. 

The most noted of the churches is St. Michel, completed in 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 27 

the latter part of the fifteenth century. Its style is very mas- 
sive, and the four galleries above the three arched doorways 
represent as many orders of architecture. The Cathedral of 
St. Benigne is of the thirteenth century. Its order is Gothic, 
but the design is commonplace. The tall wooden spire is per- 
ceptibly out of the perpendicular, and in a fair way to fall. 
Many of the old, richly-ornamented residences remain, but most 
of them have been converted into stores. The Rue Guillaume 
is lively with shops, but the principal trade of the city is in 
the Burgundy wines. The hills near the city are all vine-clad, 
and so it continues along the small rivers. The antique Hotel 
de la Cloche, where we were so comfortably quartered, is the 
great resort for lovers of a good glass of Bourgogne. The best 
of the native wines are served in the house. 

One evening during our stay placid Dijon was all excite- 
ment. Apparently the entire population was on the streets. 
The cause of this commotion was a house on fire. The heavy 
stone buildings of the old European towns rarely indulge in a 
conflagration, but when such a disaster does occur it is verily 
an event. It happened about 9 o'clock, while we were writing 
and sipping tea in our quaint room. A wood-fire was blazing 
on the hearth, and all thought of venturing out had been 
abandoned. We heard the trumpet sounded and the people 
running, but supposed a herald was announcing news from 
Paris. Pending the cabinet troubles crowds frequently assem- 
bled to hear how the contest was wavering between the Cham- 
ber and the Marshal. However, we were soon awakened to 
the true state of affairs. Every man and half the women of the 
hotel had run to the fire, and the femme de chambre concluded 
that we must be in ignorance of what was passing. Hurrying 
to the door she knocked, but, without waiting an answer, en- 
tered. "With excitement stamped on every feature she ex- 
claimed : " Un feu, messieurs ! un grand feu ! un magasin, 
messieurs, un grand magasin !" As the announcement failed 



28 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

to produce the expected astonishment, she proceeded to elabo- 
rate with particulars, and urged that we should at once witness 
the sight. Curiosity to see how the fire would be handled 
prompted an acceptance of the advice. The conflagration 
proved to be in an ordinary three-story building, with a 
peaked roof. The latter was of wood and burning freely, 
though not fiercely. There was no fire below the third floon 
A large concourse of people filled the surrounding streets, but 
in the immediate vicinity of the burning house the military 
with fixed bayonets preserved working room. The soldiers 
were in squads, aggregating not less than three hundred, but 
with only about fifty muskets. Long double rows of men 
passed canvas buckets to and fro, and there was one line of 
hose. The force of water in the street hydrants is very great, 
owing to the amount of the descent from the neighboring hills. 
So far we had seen no engines of any description, but con- 
cluded they must be within the space bounded by the military. 
Certainly a city of forty thousand people would not be with- 
out fire-engines. By degrees we managed to press forward to 
a point covering a view of the exclusive ground. Nothing 
which can be fairly dignified with the name of engine was to 
be found. The only contrivance was a barrel on two wheels, 
with a hand-pump and hose attached. The barrel would hold 
about forty gallons. While the water lasted it threw a stream 
sufficiently high to reach the eaves, but in two minutes the 
cask was empty. About six of these primitive machines were 
at work. As soon as the water was exhausted they were 
dragged to the hydrants beyond those used by the bucket-men, 
and when refilled came back to repeat the spasmodic effort. 
Midnight came before the flames were under control, although 
they had in no way extended to the adjoining buildings. It 
was probably daylight before the last squad of workers could be 
safely relieved. During the fire a military officer was in sole 
command, and the people are subject to be pressed into service. 



FROM PAPIS TO EGYPT. 29 

Southward from Dijon we pass through the richest of the 
Burgundy wine district of the Cote d'Or. Beaune and Cha- 
lons-sur-Saone are the principal towns on the route before 
arriving at Macon. "We thought Macon worthy of a halt, but 
soon discovered it scarcely deserved a precious day. It is a 
simple provincial town of twenty thousand people, whose chief 
business is to produce the well-known Vin de Macon. As the 
wine-making season is in September and October, even that 
could not be seen. But when everything else fails there is 
always one resort in the minor cities of a Catholic country. 
It is the cathedral. Macon has one called St. Pierre, which is 
large enough to accommodate hundreds where scores now as- 
semble. The expensive character of the building is in such 
marked contrast with the humble shops and residences that 
neither wisdom nor practical religion would justify the sacrifices 
it must have caused. While grandeur in churches is to be 
commended, if at the expense of the rich, it is especially to be 
condemned where the poor are urged through an almost super- 
stitious devotion to expend the slender means demanded for 
the comforts of life. Throughout the continent wretched, 
ignorant, and hopeless poverty prostrates itself among monu- 
ments of art, jewels, and forms of worship which are utterly 
beyond its understanding. Like the treasures in the Green 
Vaults of Dresden, millions of francs are withdrawn from the 
avenues of usefulness with benefit to no one. If but half this 
latent wealth of Europe could be freed for the work of educa- 
tion and progress, the benefit would seem to be inestimable. 
The dawn of such a revolution is perceptible, but the hand of 
time points to the latter part of the nineteenth century, and 
the light should be more potent. 

As a town having only a cathedral is entitled to very few 
hours, before night we were again en route, with the second city 
of France as the destination. 

During the stormy days of '93 and '94, Lyons having 



30 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

espoused the cause of the Girondists, the barbarous Mountain, 
through their more barbarous Committee of Public Safety — 
Robespierre, Saint Just, Billaud, Collot, Barere, and Couthon — 
decreed that the city should be destroyed. " Let the plough," 
said the infamous Bertrand Bar&re, " pass over her. Let her 
name cease to exist. The rebels are conquered ; but are they 
all exterminated ? No weakness. No mercy. Let every one 
be smitten. Two words w T ill suffice to tell the whole. Lyons 
made war on liberty ; Lyons is no more." Thus for her resist- 
ance to the Reign of Terror, for her protest against a govern- 
ment of the guillotine, for her devotion to humanity, a great 
city was levelled to the ground. With the downfall of anarchy 
and the assumption of the government by the First Consul, 
Lyons was at once rebuilt, and quickly resumed her impor- 
tance as a manufacturing city. Therefore, the Lyons of to-day, 
from the Rhone to the Saone and beyond, is as modern as any 
of the American seaboard cities. And in being such a great 
manufacturing centre it also closely resembles our eastern 
cities. At the close of the day its streets are alive with the 
working people, and at all times it presents that activity among 
the lower classes which is so strongly in contrast with the sloth 
of Italy. 

Lyons is a city of large area, but of only general interest. 
The destruction of war, and the marked predominance of 
manufactures, account for the lack of special attractions. The 
Quais of the Rhone and Saone form broad avenues, which are 
bordered with good buildings. Eight bridges span the Rhone, 
which is the most active side of the city. The current of both 
rivers is too swift for general navigation, scarcely more than 
an occasional small passenger steamer ever being seen. The 
suburbs of the city comprise its handsomest parts, and include 
the residences of the wealthy. Many open squares are met, 
the most noted being Places de Lyon, Louis Seize, and Belle- 
cour. The last is very large, and has a colored bronze eques- 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 31 

trian statue of Louis le Grand in the centre. The most appro- 
priate monument in the city is that of Jacquard, to whom Lyons 
owes more for her wealth and prosperity than to any of the 
princes with long curls and other fripperies. The usual pub- 
lic buildings of a French city are all of architectural beauty. 
The Palais des Beaux Arts is especially grand in the splendid 
court, ornamented with copies of celebrated antique statuary. 
The facades of the Cathedral of St. Jean and of the Church 
of St. Nizier are rich in design and elaborate in finish. The 
latter, with its two dissimilar spires, is particularly noticeable. 
The leading theatre, the Grand, is conspicuous on account of 
its colonnade. 

The universal business depression of the last half-decade has 
proved a severe ordeal for Lyons. Silks and velvets are lux- 
uries with which the people can easily dispense in hard times. 
The manufacturers complain, and not without reason, that un- 
necessary political agitation has aggravated and prolonged the 
period of stagnation. Upon visiting the factories we were 
received with genuine French courtesy. The slightest pros- 
pect of public mention in the United States seems to be a potent 
incentive for a European manufacturer to accord any amount 
of attention. The confessed anxiety of every firm to trade in 
the United States is amusing, so far is it carried. There is no 
question that the American trade is courted more than any 
other. America seems to be considered an exhaustless mine, 
whose treasures should be better distributed. The poor are 
immeasurably more enthusiastic on this point than the rich, so 
much so that we were told at Naples, with all seriousness, that 
the lower classes go to the Cathedral of St. January and pray 
that America may be spread over the entire world. 

A journey of eight hours covers the distance from Lyons to 
Marseilles. Roman remains are found at several points on 
the route, including Vienne, Valence, Montelimar, and Orange. 
The ancient city of Avignon is noted historically as having 



32 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

been long the residence of the popes. The cathedral of the 
twelfth century, and the papal palace of the fourteenth, are 
yet standing. At Aries are the ruins of a Roman amphi- 
theatre, with towers supposed to have been added by Charles 
Martel. An ancient uninscribed obelisk, forty -seven feet in 
height, ornaments the Place de THotel de Ville of the same 
town, and here also was discovered the beautiful "Venus of 
Aries," now in the Louvre at Paris. 

Marseilles can readily claim to be a handsome city. As in 
nearly every European city, there is an old portion, which is 
composed of narrow streets and dirty houses, but in Marseilles 
it is confined to a small section. The New Town comprises 
more than two- thirds of the entire area, and in it the streets 
are broad and regular, while the buildings are imposing. The 
Rue Noailles, with the Hue Cannebre continuation, is the 
principal avenue of the city. The docks are of great extent, 
Marseilles being the principal port of France and of the Medi- 
terranean. The New Harbor is a huge work of masonry, di- 
vided into four communicating basins. The Old Harbor is 
formed by an inlet, which penetrates to the heart of the city. 
The two are connected by a canal, and within them the vessels 
may be counted by hundreds. There is, however, but little 
activity among all this vast fleet, scores of them bearing every 
indication of having been in port for months. 

Marseilles has several prominent buildings worthy of note. 
The Palais de Longchamps, which stands on the hill and at 
the head of the avenue of the same name, is a very ornamental 
structure. It consists of two large buildings in the Renais- 
sance style, connected by a lengthy, crescent-shaped Doric 
colonnade. In the centre of the latter is a triumphal arch, 
under which there is a marble group allegorical of three neigh- 
boring rivers. The first of a series of cascades issues just below 
the base of the group, and continuing downward, the water 
passes rich terraces and several pieces of decorative sculpture. 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 33 

The two buildings of the palace are respectively the Museum 
of Fine Arts and of Natural History. The next in order to 
arrest particular attention is the unique chapel of Notre Dame 
de la Garde, which stands within a fort on a hill to the south 
of the city. Not only its elevated position makes it a very 
conspicuous object, but surmounting the tower is an enormous 
gilded figure of the Virgin, with the infant Saviour. The 
chapel and its usual set of relics are objects of great veneration 
to the sailors of the Mediterranean. The new Bourse and 
Chamber of Commerce, the Hotel de Ville, the Palais de Jus- 
tice and the Prefecture are all imposing structures. On a 
little island, which constitutes one of the group adjacent to the 
city, is the grim Chateau d'lf, where Dumas lays the scene of 
so many stirring chapters in Monte Christo, and where Mira- 
beau was imprisoned in reality. 

After the tiresome work of a city has been completed, the 
pleasant feature of seeing its public drive is the finishing stroke. 
So many of the European parks are marked by great beauty 
that surprises are rare, but one awaited us when we passed out 
the Prado, through the park of the Chateau Borely, and along 
the Chemin de la Corniche. The entire drive is of remark- 
able grandeur and variety. The Prado commences in the 
southern central part of the city, and continues more than a mile 
without the slightest deviation from a straight line. Another 
section of equal length joins the first, forming a right angle, 
and extending to the entrance of the grounds of the Chateau 
Borely. A single glance at the Prado impresses the beholder 
that it is one of the stateliest boulevards in Europe. Its breadth 
is uniform, and exceeds that of Broad Street, while its whole 
extent is marked by four rows of great trees, which form lines 
so accurately straight that the effect is admirable. The park 
of the Chateau Borely is a finished garden, including within its 
limits a race-course on the English turf plan. Passing out on 
the south, the ocean presents a series of views which call forth 



34 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

unlimited admiration. The tout ensemble is very similar to 
the Bay of Naples, with an agreeable change from the untidy 
Chiaja to the perfect order and cleanliness of the Chemin de 
la Corniche. However, in making a comparison of the two 
spots, that enriching softness which characterizes the atmosphere 
of Naples is missed to a very great extent at Marseilles. Sum- 
mer would probably do much to lessen this difference. 

Before this delightful drive can be pronounced complete, it 
is necessary to halt on the bluff at the Eeserve, and eat Bouilla- 
baisse. The Reserve is the fashionable caf§, the Strawberry 
Mansion, or rather the San Francisco Cliff House, on a mag- 
nificent scale. And what is Bouillabaisse? It is a delicacy 
of the cuisine composed of four kinds of fish and one of crabs, 
the whole being dressed with a rich sauce. Accompanying it 
is another dish of small slices of bread prepared in a second 
sauce, the ingredients of which remain a mystery. The in- 
evitable bottle of wine is added to complete the array, and it 
must be admitted that the repast is delicious. It is also a 
substantial one, as it requires several hours before the digestive 
system will admit its readiness to receive further supplies. 

Our journey southward from Paris had been timed in ac- 
cordance with the sailing-day of the steamer Sai'd, for which 
we were booked. The name is that of the late viceroy of 
Egypt. At the appointed hour we drove to the New Port, 
where the company's fleet have their berths. Among the eight 
or ten which flew the " M. M." signal, the Sai'd was easily dis- 
tinguished by the bustle about her which is incident to an early 
departure. Our luggage was soon in the state-room, but a 
dreary rain compelled us to remain under cover during the 
interval previous to the time of sailing. 

The Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes is a corporation 
of extensive capital. Their flotilla comprises between sixty 
and seventy iron steamers, ranging from two hundred and 
fifty to six hundred horse-power. The lines run to all ports 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 35 

in the Mediterranean, as well as to those of the Black and Red 
Seas, the East Indies, Western Africa, and South America. 
The central office is at Paris, and Marseilles is the home port. 
Onr steamer flew the " Service Poste" flag, showing that the 
Messageries ships carry the French mails. The variety and 
quality of the menu offered to cabin passengers is noted among 
travellers as being the best of the various lines on the Medi- 
terranean, and our experience certainly proved that it left 
nothing to be desired. Thus, with a staunch and well-pro- 
vided, though not a fast, steamer, our voyage commenced at 1 
p.m. on the 20th of December. 

A few moments after the Said's propeller commenced to 
turn we passed the Chateau dTf, cleared the breakwater, and 
took our last glance at the colossal golden Virgin on Notre 
Dame de la Garde. A study of our fellow-passengers re- 
vealed a variety. The most distinguished of them were an 
English lord and his lady, and a Turkish or Egyptian official 
of note, judging by the consideration he received. A clans- 
man of gentle blood, from the shore of Loch Lomond, with 
his wife, besides Englishmen, Frenchmen, and Italians, com- 
pleted the first cabin list. In the second-class saloon there 
was a melancholy-looking Arab, in his native costume, or, as 
his lordship expressed it, without his small clothes. The 
third-class carried a repulsive group of Italians, of the con- 
tadino type, who were bound for Naples. 

At eight bells of the afternoon watch the Sai'd commenced 
to roll in a most unpleasant manner. Dinner was announced 
one hour later, but we concluded to repair to our berths as 
a substitute. Not above a half-dozen appeared at the table. 
That night was one of oblivion. The next morning the sea 
was rather smoother, and, after two or three hours' struggle, 
we had crossed the Rubicon. During the forenoon we steamed 
close to the island of Corsica, which gave Napoleon to the 
world ; and, later in the day, Elba, the place of his imprison- 



36 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ment, was passed. To the south we saw the rock-bound isle 
of Monte Christo, made renowned by the fertile pen of Dumas 
as a store-house of the treasures which the author gives to the 
hero of the novel of that title. The moon that night was full 
and bright, and the log showed thirteen knots. 

Early on the morning of the 22d the ship was in smooth 
water, and by the time breakfast was finished we came to 
anchor at Naples, four hundred and forty-eight miles from 
Marseilles. The steamer was immediately surrounded by 
small boats filled with men, on the alert to earn a lira by 
doing some service, or by making sales. There were vendors 
of coral, Sorrento wood-work, newspapers, lava ornaments, 
cakes, photographs, and canes, as well as musicians and jug- 
glers. Four hours were occupied in unloading freight and re- 
ceiving additions to the passenger-list. Close by the Said in 
the harbor lay the Vandalia, showing that ex-President Grant 
was then at Naples. At 1 p.m. our ship weighed anchor, and 
in less than two hours we passed Capri on the east, and were 
once more at sea. After dark the weather was again fair, and 
the moonlight walk on deck was most inspiriting. 

Soon after dawn on the 24th the passage of the Strait of 
Messina was safely made, and snowy iEtna loomed up, nearly 
eleven thousand feet above the level of the sea. The beautiful 
coast of Sicily remained in sight only a short time, but the re- 
gret was mitigated by the thought that the gyro of the island 
would be accomplished on our return from the East. The day 
developed nothing in particular excepting a sharp squall with 
rain during the afternoon. Christmas Eve was clear and cloudy 
by turns, and, as we walked the decks, all hands among the 
passengers compared notes, and it transpired that not one had 
ever passed a Christmas at sea. The turkeys taken on board 
at Naples, like the noble Argyle in Edinburgh Castle, were 
sleeping their last living sleep. The birthday of the blessed 
Redeemer dawned with all the beauty and mildness of the 



FROM PARIS TO EGYPT. 37 

southern latitudes. We found our stockings full, not with the 
wares of Santa Claus, but each with a good-sized foot. A 
cool night and scanty covers had suggested that the stockings 
had better not be removed. At breakfast " A Merry Christ- 
mas" went round in English, French, and Italian. Even the 
irritable old French doctor, with his red ribbon decoration of 
the Legion of Honor, smiled. How he ever won his cross 
was the wonder of all the passengers. But then ships 7 doctors 
usually are a taciturn, do-little, pipe-smoking set of mediocre 
disciples of Esculapius. The largest salary which any com- 
pany could afford to offer would secure no other class. 

During the day we all sunned ourselves on deck, without 
wraps or overcoats, and read or talked. At 5 P.M. the 
turkeys were nicely browned, and dinner was announced. The 
doctor's capacity for food, though usually great, now became 
enormous. Our Christmas dinner had not been finished when 
the wind changed to the northeast and struck the Said on the 
broadside, as she headed southeast. The effect was to make 
her roll until the tops of the masts described great arcs against 
the sky. Through the evening the movement increased to 
such an extent that occasionally the sea almost touched the 
gunwales; At 10 p.m. the rolling continued unabated ; and, 
as the Said bore us nearer and nearer to the hallowed ground 
over which the Star of Bethlehem shone, we went to our berths, 
verily 

" Kocked in the cradle of the deep." 

We knew by our reckoning that Alexandria would be sighted 
about daylight on the 26th, so we gave directions to be called 
as soon as the coast was in view. At 6 a.m. the rap came at 
the state-room door. As daylight broke, the scene from the 
deck was glorious. First, the deep, rich tints of the African 
sky, which, gradually becoming paler, at last faded away before 
the fully-developed solar power. The city was indistinctly 
outlined on the low coast, but as the Said pressed on, at last 



38 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Pompey's Pillar stood out in relief, and an odd-looking little 
sailboat boarded us, with a pilot. Had the steamer arrived 
previous to daybreak she would have been compelled to halt, 
as no vessel is allowed to enter the port at night. Passing the 
breakwater, a buoy was reached, and the voyage completed. 
In less time than it requires to write it, the steamer was 
thronged with the ugly, dirty, brown-skinned natives, in their 
oriental costumes. Each seemed determined to convey some- 
body or something ashore. They yelled and fought, and were 
most aggravating in their persistent efforts for patronage. Our 
distinguished Turkish or Egyptian passenger proceeded with- 
out ceremony to belabor two or three of them with his heavy 
cane. Resisting all their annoyance, we placed ourselves in the 
care of a dragoman from the Hotel d'Europe, for whom we 
had previously written. On landing, our passports were 
examined at a bureau, and although they were not vised, our 
names were registered. The luggage went through the usual 
cursory examination, and after the dragoman had a quarrel 
about the proper amount of baksheesh, we drove off to the 
hotel. Our voyage was of nearly six days 7 duration, and the 
distance accomplished fourteen hundred and sixty-three miles. 



CHAPTEE II. 



ALEXAKDKIA. 



Although Alexandria is probably the least oriental in 
appearance of all the eastern centres, still its Egyptian character 
is predominant. It is composed of a curious conglomeration 
of nationalities, with each endeavoring to live and trade in its 
own way. Such modifications of national customs as have 
been made were evidently necessitated by the climate, or by 
the natural friction of so many strange elements. Although 
European residents are met at every turn, still the Turks, 
Arabs, and Nubians are greatly in the majority. The variety 
of current money will illustrate the remarkable mixture of 
things. Upon examination of our pockets one day we found 
the gold and silver coins of England, France, Italy, Turkey, 
Greece, Spain, and Egypt. Each passes at the current value 
in its own country. The same shop may give the price of one 
article in shillings, another in francs, and yet another in pias- 
tres. The above list of coins might be increased by the addi- 
tion of those of other nations. The entire currency of the 
place is thus made up of gold and silver, and paper money is 
nowhere to be seen. Bank of England notes are received at 
the banks, hotels, and a few of the larger stores, but the natives 
decline to handle them. A traveller coming directly from the 
United States would be greatly confused in his daily disburse-' 
ments by this want of a distinct standard of values, but after 
having journeyed through the principal States of Europe, the 

39 



40 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

combined practice with the various moneys is viewed as rather 
an instructive novelty. 

A traveller from the Occident cannot but be amused by the 
sights on the streets. The Hdtel d'Europe, at which we were 
quartered, is located on the Place Mehemet Ali, the principal 
and most animated square of the city. Strictly speaking, it is 
a rectangle, about the length and breadth of a long block on 
Broad Street, with a garden enclosure extending through the 
middle. Sitting on the portico of the hotel, the swarm of life 
which passes to and fro makes a curious picture. Prominent 
in the throng are the diminutive, patient donkeys, mounted 
by men whose feet nearly reach the ground. The owners of 
the beasts follow on a run, administering a poke with a stick 
at sufficiently short intervals to cause the little animal to sus- 
tain the level trot which makes the riding easy and pleasant. 
The fellaheen who have the donkeys for hire are a sight for 
western eyes, and their costume cannot be better described 
than by stating that it is exactly as if an American had come 
directly from his bed to the street in his white robe de nuit. 
Their feet and limbs are nude, but the head is generally 
wrapped for warmth. Occasionally a quiet camel with a great 
burden is led along, and next the carriage and pair of a Eu- 
ropean may pass. On the sidewalks Turks, Italians, Greeks, 
Arabs, English, Syrians, Nubians, French, and Jews are the 
hourly pedestrians. 

The native bazaars are repulsive open booths, from which a 
man sitting in the centre can almost reach the articles in any 
corner. The caf§s are not much larger, and in them the 
natives assemble to smoke the native pipes and drink coffee. 
Everywhere the traveller is importuned to hire donkeys, have 
his boots polished, accept a guide, or to make purchases of all 
kinds. Hundreds of the dark-skinned population have ac- 
quired sufficient English to make themselves troublesome, and 
at no time do they fail to urge their respective schemes to 



ALEXANDRIA. 41 

secure gratuities, or baksheesh, as it is universally called. Nearly 
all of the native women have their heads covered in the eastern 
style, leaving nothing of the face showing but the eyes. On 
the whole, we learned to regard the custom as a blessing to 
strangers, for the few women with exposed faces were as homely 
as they were greasy and dirty. The buildings and streets may 
be disposed of by stating that they are as motley in appearance 
as the population. However, certain quarters of the city are 
almost exclusively native, and others again are peopled by the 
Franks, or Europeans, the buildings and streets partaking in 
a great measure of the character of their respective inhabitants. 
A suburb of the city on the sea, called Ramleh, is built entirely 
of modern European houses, and constitutes the summer resort 
of wealthy Franks. 

Alexandria was commenced by Alexander the Great, B.C. 
323, the site having been selected on account of its natural 
advantages as a great harbor. The building of the city was 
carried forward after Alexander's death by Ptolemy Soter, and 
afterwards again by the latter's son. Continuing under suc- 
cessive monarchs to increase in wealth and population, it at 
last, in its greatest days, numbered five hundred thousand 
people. In the third century of the Christian era its glory 
commenced to wane, until in the latter part of the eighteenth 
century the population was not ten thousand souls. Under 
Mehemet AH, in the present century, the tide again turned, 
and now Alexandria shelters not less than two hundred and 
twenty-five thousand inhabitants. The city has two harbors, 
or ports of entry, known as the New and the Old. The New 
Port is used only by small native boats, the commerce of the 
place being confined to the Old Port, which is better protected 
by breakwaters, and free of rocks and shoals. 

Directly on the shore of the harbor, in the eastern part of 
the city, stands the obelisk, whose mate, known as Cleopatra's 
Needle, was lately transported to London. The people of the 



42 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

city, and some authorities, designate both by the name of Cleo- 
patra's Needle, and reasonably, too, as they are exact duplicates. 
The one remaining at Alexandria is standing, while the other 
was almost buried in the sand in its. fallen position until 
removed by the English. The excavation remains precisely 
as when the disinterment was completed, showing the situation 
of the shaft as it lay imbedded. We are without records to 
indicate when the British obelisk fell from its perpendicular 
position, but the inference is that it occurred within the last 
seven centuries. Abd-el-Latyf, an Arabian doctor of Bagdad, 
who visited and wrote of Egypt, a.d. 1190, speaks of two 
obelisks near the sea, but says nothing of one being prostrate ; 
while in the case of two which he saw at Heliopolis, he adds : 
" I noticed that one of these obelisks had fallen down, and by 
the enormity of its own weight was broken in two." The de- 
duction seems rational that he would have also specified a 
similar item of importance at Alexandria, had such existed. 

While the creation of these two shafts is shrouded in the 
obscurity of early Egyptian history, the honor of quarrying 
them probably belongs to Thothmes or Thothmosis II. It is 
also possible that the work was inspired by his energetic sister, 
Queen Hatasou. Be that as it may, the monoliths were not 
removed from the quarry until the reign of the next monarch, 
Thothmes III., who brought them from Syene, at the First 
Cataract, down to the city of Heliopolis. That distance, ac- 
cording to Mariette Bey, is about six hundred miles. The 
historian Osburn assumes that the obelisks were transported 
by Thothmes directly to Bacotis, the ancient Alexandria, 
where, he states, they adorned the entrance to the great temple 
of the city. 

The origin of the popular appellation of Cleopatra's Needle 
is most plausibly attributed to the supposition of certain 
Egyptologists that the renowned Ptolemaic queen erected a 
temple at Alexandria, which was called the Csesariurn in honor 



ALEXANDRIA. 43 

of the birth of her son by Julius Csesar, and before which she 
set up two obelisks, brought from Heliopolis. Unfortunately 
for this comfortable theory of derivation, we have it upon the 
authority of Pliny — which Sharpe adopts in his history — that 
the Sebaste, or Csesar's temple, was finished by the Alexan- 
drians only as early as the reign of Tiberius. The " two 
ancient obelisks, which had been made by Thothmosis III., 
and carved by Rameses II.," were, according to this authority, 
then placed in position. Burton's " Excerpta Hieroglyphica" 
is also cited to establish the latter connection. The weight of 
testimony is, then, in favor of the version that they went first 
to Heliopolis, and were afterward carried to Alexandria in 
the time of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, a.d. 14-37. The 
period of the reign of Thothmes III. is stated by some as 
B.C. 1599-1560, and by others as early as to include B.C. 
1650. 

The dimensions of the Cleopatra's Needles cannot be given 
without the qualification that authorities disagree. Wilkinson 
gives seventy-one feet as the height of the shaft yet at Alexan- 
dria, and sixty-six feet for that at London. The width of the 
base he calls seven feet seven inches, thereby probably intend- 
ing the mean width, as the opposite sides only are equal. 
Denon, a French writer, makes the first less than sixty-three 
feet in height, and yet seven feet ten inches as the width of the 
base. Champollion designates the height of the same obelisk 
to be sixty-four feet one and one-fifth inches. Another author- 
ity places the London needle at sixty-six feet, and its Alexan- 
drine mate at seventy-one feet. A report made to the English 
House of Commons about the year 1832 stated that the present 
London obelisk is sixty-four feet long, and weighs two hun- 
dred and eighty-four tons. The expense of its removal was 
then estimated at fifteen thousand pounds, and the calculation 
has been fully verified by the statement of Mr. John Dixon, 
the engineer, that he has expended about five thousand pounds 



44 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

more than the ten thousand advanced for the undertaking by 
Mr. Erasmus Wilson. 

The material composing these and all other Egyptian obelisks 
is the beautiful rose-colored granite of Syene, which is large- 
grained and of exceeding hardness. The main quarries are 
located a short distance inland from the present town of Assouan, 
close to the First Cataract, on the border between Egypt and 
Nubia. Biggeh, Elephantine, and Philae, all in the same 
neighborhood, also present evidences of the stonecutter's work. 
In fact, the entire country thereabout is rich in granite, syenite, 
and porphyry. Eighteen hundred years of exposure to salt 
air and an occasional immersion in saline water have accom- 
plished an amount of superficial disintegration in the London 
relic which is almost unknown above high-water-mark in the 
preservative atmosphere of the Sa'eed, or Upper Egypt. In 
this connection it may prove interesting to quote from an Eng- 
lish work which dates prior to the memorable voyage of the 
novel " Cleopatra :" " The fallen obelisk (at Alexandria) was 
given by Mohammed Ali to the English, who were desirous of 
removing it to England as a record of their successes in Egypt 
(against the French), and of the glorious termination of the 
campaign of 1801. The Pasha even offered to transport it 
free of expense to the shore, and put it on board any vessel or 
raft wdiich might be sent to remove it; but the project has been 
wisely abandoned, and cooler deliberation has pronounced that, 
from its mutilated state, and the obliteration of many of the 
hieroglyphics by exposure to the sea air, it is unworthy of the 
expense of removal." What could have been meant by the 
offer of the Pasha to " transport it free of expense to the shore" 
is beyond conjecture, as the obelisk has been lying for centuries 
almost directly on the beach. The remaining needle at Alex- 
andria is now standing within a few yards of a sea-wall which 
is reached by the water. 

The inscriptions on the obelisks are too monotonous to 



ALEXANDRIA. 45 

interest the general reader, and the London acquisition is no 
exception to the rule. While avoiding details, it may yet be 
well to state that each side bears three vertical columns of the 
hieroglyphics. Each face has a row of three crowned hawks, 
the symbol of Horus, just beneath the base of the pyramidal 
apex, and below follows the conventional devotion to Araun- 
Pa, the sun-god, and others of the Egyptian Pantheon. This 
appealing prelude is then succeeded by the narrative which 
was doubtless the incentive for the creation of the monument, 
— the self-glorification of the kings. Conceit appears to have 
been a besetting sin for more than four thousand years, and 
extreme age has not yet affected its wondrous vitality. It was 
not uncommon to ornament even the facets of the pyramidion 
with carvings; and in the case of the London obelisk we there 
find a representation of Thothmes III. on a throne before the 
Sphinx of Harmachis. 

Another remarkable monument in Alexandria is the so- 
called Pompey's Pillar, the shaft of which is one piece of pol- 
ished red granite, seventy-three feet high, and with a circum- 
ference of twenty-nine feet eight inches. The pedestal and 
capital of the column are of later origin, but serve to increase 
the whole to a total height of ninety-nine feet. No explana- 
tion is given how the relic acquired the name it bears. The 
Greek inscription states it was erected in honor of Diocletian, 
who conquered Alexandria, a.d. 296, after a destructive siege 
of eight months. Xothing whatever remains of the Pharos, 
or Light-House, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the 
World. 

Close to Pompey's Pillar is the Mohammedan burying- 
ground, and while there we were fortunate enough to witness 
the arrival of a funeral. The box containing the body was 
covered with a cloth, and borne upon the shoulders of four 
men by means of two poles tied lengthwise. Following or 
crowding around the bearers came a concourse of upwards of a 



46 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

hundred people of both sexes, nearly all of whom joined in a 
moaning concert. When the grave was reached, a great pressure 
ensued to see the body deposited, which seemed to be done 
without any service. Our dragoman did not advise venturing 
too close, as the natives are very sensitive to any intrusion 
from the Franks at times when their religious or other rites 
are in progress. Although we waited some time, they con- 
tinued to crowd around the grave, suggesting that the opera- 
tion of filling was taking place. The graves of the poorer 
classes are marked by a semi-circular mound of mortar, about 
two feet high in the centre, and extending the length of the body. 
The richer people have stone mausoleums, in which the dead 
are interred under the floor. The arrangement and appear- 
ance of the cemetery are far better than might be expected of a 
people whose living estate is of the lowest character. 

The railway from Alexandria to Cairo, the first ever con- 
structed is Egypt, was built in 1855. Excepting on the 
bridges, a double track extends the entire distance. The 
bridges are of iron, and, like the road itself, they are the work 
of English engineers. The distance between the two cities is 
called one hundred and thirty-one miles, which the express 
trains accomplish in about four and a half hours. The line 
of the railway is, of course, entirely through the low delta 
country, the principal stations being at Damanhoor, Tel-el- 
Baroot, Kafrez-Zyat, Tantah, and Kalioob. At Damanhoor 
there is a buffet, where many express passengers eat, as the 
train stops a half-hour for the purpose. Daring the stay of 
the train there is no little amusement afforded by the swarm 
of native women and boys, who vend wine, oranges, coffee, and 
cakes. These people are not troubled with any superfluity of 
raiment, nor does soap appear to be included among their 
household articles. A woman will ask half a franc (ten cents) 
for an orange, and then readily accept what we call a " fish 
scale," — that is, a twenty para silver piece (two and a half 



ALEXANDRIA. 47 

cents), or one-half of a piastre. There is even a smaller silver 
piece worth ten paras (one and a quarter cents), but it is neces- 
sary to keep an eye upon them or they will be lost. At one 
of the mud village stations where the train halted an Arab 
family were at dinner. Five or six of both sexes and different 
ages were grouped around a pan, which contained bread and 
green leaves of some kind. When one piece was devoured, 
probably a half-dozen in the pan were fingered before a selec- 
tion would be made. Then the voracious process of bolting 
was repeated. The presence of the train seemed in no way to 
trouble the hungry family squatted upon the open ground be- 
side their mud hut. The trains run well to time, and most of 
the employes command sufficient English and French to make 
themselves understood. Europeans all travel first-class, while 
the natives confine themselves to second and third. 



CHAPTER III. 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 



The Cairenes call their city Masr, but its full name is Masr- 
el-Kaherah, which, being translated, signifies the " Victorious." 
The French write it Caire, and the English Cairo. Next to 
Constantinople, the Egyptian capital is the most important 
Mohammedan city of the world, and the traveller from the 
West finds in and around it much to arrest his attention. 
Cairo is partly European in aspect and partly oriental. The 
native portions are divided from each other by gates, which 
are closed at night and opened by a concierge only to those 
carrying a lamp, there being no public lights in those quarters. 
The modern or fashionable sections are comprised within the 
divisions called the Esbekeeyah, Ismaileeyah, and part of 
Abdeen. In these the streets and houses are new, and well 
lighted with gas. In the oriental quarters are found the ir- 
regular, narrow streets, bordered with bazaars, where all east- 
ern goods can be purchased. There is also a European bazaar, 
where French, English, Greeks, Turks, and others display an 
additional variety. The two leading hotels, the Grand New 
and Shepheard's, are both in the Esbekeeyah, the former being 
opposite the opera-house and the new Public Garden, where a 
native military band performs every afternoon. The Grand 
New Hotel is the largest and finest in Egypt. It is conducted 
upon the American plan, — i.e., sixteen shillings per day, with 
everything included excepting wines. 

Shepheard ? s is the popular resort of travellers bound to and 
48 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 49 

from India, and, until 1874, it was without a rival for the 
first place. The scene in front of either of these caravansaries 
is most animated at all hours during daylight. At the gates 
dragomans, donkey fellaheen, boot-blacks, carriage-drivers, 
snake-charmers, jugglers, men with performing monkeys, and 
vendors of various articles are on the qui vive to intercept every 
guest who emerges. Some of them are most aggravating in 
their persistency, and it is not uncommon to be followed by 
three or four donkeys for blocks. If an intimation is given 
that a donkey is wanted, immediately a dozen are upon the 
sidewalk, surrounding the unlucky applicant. To make a 
peaceable choice is impossible, and even threats of corporal 
punishment are unavailing. 

The driving is no small feature in the tout ensemble. All 
the carriages and harness are of European manufacture, while 
among the horses the stately Arabians are numerous. The 
grandest equipages have both a driver and a footman upon 
the box, while in front of the horses the nimble syce runs 
to clear the way. These runners are dressed in white, the 
skirt reaching only to the knees, and the sleeves large and 
flowing. An embroidered jacket, with the tarboosh, or fez, as 
a head-covering, completes the costume. The lower limbs and 
feet are nude. The staff of office of the syce is a slender stick 
about one yard in length, which he carries in a perpendicular 
position. The grace, speed, and endurance of these runners are 
most remarkable and interesting. Some carriages have two, 
and those of the Khedive and his family often appear with 
four, two running abreast. The many equipages of the Khe- 
dive, his sons and his wives, are all imported, and, in addition 
to a full number of the servants already described, each has 
two or four cavalrymen accompanying as a body-guard. The 
great driving days are Sunday and Friday, when every turn- 
out appears, and almost every nationality is represented. The 
Fairmount or Hyde Park of Cairo is the Shoobra road, which 



50 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

leads to Mohammed Ali's sumptuous and favorite palace of 
that name beyond the city limits. 

The present Khedive of Egypt is Ismai'l Pasha, a descendant 
of the energetic Mohammed Ali. He was born in 1830, and 
succeeded to the Yiceroyalty in 1863.* The title of Viceroy 
was changed in 1868 to that of Khidervi, or Khedive, as it is 
better known. While Ismail is much to be commended for the 
many improvements visible in Egypt, he is equally to be con- 
demned for the extravagance of his own and his sons' estab- 
lishments. The Khedive sustains upwards of twenty palaces, 
in which he supports in luxury four wives and three thousand 
women slaves in the various hareems. Among these princely 
residences the new palace of Ghizerah, across the river, stands 
pre-eminent. Its splendor exceeds that of any in Egypt. 
The grounds contain a zoological garden, an artificial lake, 
statuary, exotics, rustic houses, and scores of ornamental 
lamps. The great pavilion is an exquisite specimen of the 
Moresque style; and within the palace itself, which faces 
directly on the Nile, the furniture and fittings are of the most 
gorgeous character. The stairways and mantels are of marble 
inlaid with mosaics and enamel work, and the furniture is 
upholstered with heavy, brilliant-hued satins. Each of the 
grown " princes of the blood" also has his separate palace and 
retinue of servants. It is impossible to state how many horses 
the stables of the father and sons contain, but they are num- 
bered by hundreds. It is said that recently the expenses of 
the court were much reduced by the discharge of many ser- 
vants and other moves in the direction of economy, but there 
is still room for further wholesale retrenchment. The country 

* The Khedive Ismail has since abdicated in compliance with the de- 
mand of France and England. In accordance with the degree of H.I.M., 
the Sultan, Prince Mohammed Tewfik succeeded to the throne June 26, 
1879. The Khedive Tewfik is Ismail's son by the fourth wife, and was 
born November 19, 1852. 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 51 

is already bankrupt, and from present indications the financial 
condition promises even worse for the near future. The yield 
of the crops depends entirely upon the overflow of the Nile, and 
for two years the inundation has been extremely unsatisfactory. 
Slender harvests, want, and even famine have followed. A 
miserable fellah, or husbandman, stated that his annual tax is 
four sovereigns per acre, an amount which can leave but little 
for his own subsistence. In the cities business is dull, and 
travellers, who constitute an important source of revenue, 
are fewer in number and more careful in expenditures than 
formerly. 

The stranger's first visit in Cairo is generally to the Citadel. 
This elevated fortress was built by Saladin, of stone taken from 
the smallest of the pyramids atGhizeh. Within the Citadel is 
the lately completed Mosque of Mohammed Ali, the founder 
of the present dynasty. This sanctuary is one of the showiest 
in Cairo, and its elevation renders it conspicuous from many 
parts of the city. The two minarets are the tallest and most 
slender of all on the five hundred mosques here, a distinction 
which the eye quickly notices. The roof is composed of one 
large dome in the centre, surrounded by four half-domes, with 
four smaller domes again at the corners of the latter. The 
columns and nearly the entire walls of the interior are of 
oriental alabaster, and the ceiling is richly ornamented. The 
floors are completely covered with Turkish, Smyrna, and other 
rugs; and, being entirely unobstructed, the extent of the build- 
ing is displayed in an imposing manner. Scores of glass lamps 
hang by long cords from the domes, and in one corner is the 
tomb of the royal founder. In a court-yard without the mosque 
is a fountain, at which every worshipper washes before enter- 
ing the building. Each devotee is also required to remove 
his shoes, if he is fortunate enough to own any, and Frank 
visitors are compelled to draw on large slippers to prevent 
the rugs from being soiled or worn. The mosques are fre- 



52 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

quented by people at all hours, who come to lounge, write, 
pray, talk, and sleep. As soon as a traveller enters he is im- 
mediately besieged for the inevitable baksheesh, and it is with 
no little difficulty that he pursues his work of examination. 
Our donkey-drivers and dragomans frequently struck the 
pests, and every encouragement was given us to do the same. 
The amount of assault and battery witnessed astonishes a citi- 
zen of a law-abiding country, but here it receives no attention. 
The lower classes are but little better than dogs, and they vir- 
tually acknowledge their status by the treatment they readily 
accept. 

Within the Citadel is also the palace and hareem of Mo- 
hammed Ali, and what is known as " Beer Yoosef," or Joseph's 
Well. The entire depth of nearly three hundred feet is cut 
through solid rock, and surrounding it is a sloping, spiral foot- 
way, reaching to the lowest point. At the bottom are two cells, 
in one of which, some say, Joseph was imprisoned through the 
wickedness of the wife of Potiphar, " an officer of Pharaoh, cap- 
tain of the guard." However, this well can scarcely have been 
the place where Joseph was confined, as, according to the de- 
scription given by the chief butler in Genesis xli., verse 10, the 
prisoner was "in ward in the captain of the guard's house." 
The place is still in use as a well, water being raised by means 
of earthen jugs on an endless chain worked by donkeys. 

The view from the Citadel at sunset is one of the finest in 
Egypt. Beneath is Cairo, with its hundreds of minarets, flat 
roofs, and moving throngs. To the south are the domed 
tombs of the Memlooks and the modern burying-grounds. 
Farther off is the winding Nile, bordered by the green strips 
which mark the limit of cultivation, and beyond these again 
are the endless Libyan and Eastern Deserts. In the distance, 
towards the setting sun, are the great pyramids of Ghizeh and 
of Sakkarah. In the east is the obelisk which alone marks the 
site of ancient Heliopolis, and in the south the Mokattam Hills 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 53 

rise up even above the elevation of the Citadel. Shed over 
the entire panorama are the wonderfully delicate, sublimely 
soft tints of the Egyptian sunset, the whole producing an im- 
pression on the beholder which cannot soon be effaced. 

Among the other mosques entitled to special attention is 
that of looloon, now partly in ruins. It is designed after the 
Ka'aba, at Mecca, and was built late in the ninth century. 
Within there are several rows of columns bearing pointed 
arches, and extending around the entire cornice are Cufic in- 
scriptions on wood. Arabic tradition asserts that Noah's ark 
rested on the hill where this mosque now stands, in spite of 
the claim of Mount Ararat, far off in Armenia. Not content 
with Noah's ark, the legend also claims that it was on Tooloon's 
sacred site that Abraham sacrificed the ram. The minaret 
presents the unusual feature of having a spiral stairway on 
the outside, a design said to have been the result of its founder's 
fancy. The oldest mosque in Egypt is that of Omar, at Old 
Cairo, built in the seventh century. The interior contains 
upwards of two hundred and twenty-five columns, surrounding 
the open court in colonnades; but already many of these shafts 
are in ruins, as well as other portions of the building. 

Certain of the mosques are closed to the general unbeliev- 
ing public, but a government firman will insure admittance. 
Having secured the coveted document, we visited the most 
important of the number. The Mosque of Hasaneyn, or Has- 
san-Ain, appeared to be notably popular, as it was crowded 
with devotees in the act of reading or prayer. The interior is 
decorated with hanging lamps, lace-like Koranic inscriptions, 
marble columns, and oriental rugs. The latter are all of one 
pattern, and cover the entire floor. Images and pictures are 
strictly forbidden by the Muslim creed. The next, the great 
Mosque of El-Azhar, is the Muslim college of Cairo. Within 
the courts and the interior were hundreds of men and boys. 
Classes were in session, barbers were shaving heads, the 



54 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Wa'izin were lecturing to their circles of people, boys were 
studying, and scores of worshippers were in the various pos- 
tures of the salah or prayer. A. service, under the charge of 
an Imam, was in progress during our visit to the Mosque of 
Sitteh, or Seyyidah Zeyneb, the granddaughter of the Prophet ; 
but a description will be reserved for its appropriate place in 
the outline of the faith of Islam, to which the next chapter 
will be devoted. 

The bazaars or sooks of Cairo are an unwearying source 
of interest and expenditure for all travellers, whatever may be 
their tastes. The curious little duhkdns or shops, the variety 
of tempting souvenirs they display, and the novelty of the 
oriental dealing, are sufficient to entice every stranger. Each 
trade congregates in a certain street or quarter, and these divi- 
sions are named accordingly, as the jewellers', drapers', and 
other bazaars. This grouping of the trades is customary in 
all eastern cities, and greatly reduces the fatigue of shopping. 
As the subject of bazaars will be fully considered when we 
reach Damascus, any further reference will now be omitted. 

The schools of the American and British missions in the 
Egyptian capital are evidences of what may be accomplished 
by earnest Christian workers. Each of them has under in- 
struction not less than five hundred children of both sexes. 
The boys and girls are classed separately, but Mohammedans 
and Copts are intermingled and represented in about equal 
proportions. The branches taught comprise the English lan- 
guage, the Bible, writing, and sewing. The little Arabs prove 
apt scholars, but the unbelieving parents seldom allow their 
children to remain under tuition a sufficient period. Both 
schools are noble charities, and well entitled to the direct con- 
sideration of those disposed to aid financially. 

Important among the sights of Cairo is the valuable collec- 
tion in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, at Boulak. The 
whole is the untiring work of M. Mariette, a Frenchman, who, 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 55 

under appointment of the Khedive, with the rank of bey, has 
sole control of all excavations and of the relics secured. This 
antiquarian has given more than twenty years to the study of 
Egyptology, and has written much upon the subject. Pre- 
vious to his acceptance of the present post, Mariette was an 
assistant in the department of oriental antiquities in the 
Louvre. Among the objects in this unrivalled collection are 
three statuettes, two in serpentine and one in basalt, found in 
a pyramid at Sakkarah. They are beautifully carved, and 
represent three of the most prominent Egyptian divinities, 
Osiris, Isis, and Athor. It would exceed our limits to detail 
the features of the museum, but they include perfect speci- 
mens of funereal, civil, religious, historical, Greek, Roman, 
and Christian monuments. The aggregation of jewelry, arms, 
edibles, and scarabsei is also extensive and instructive. 

The favorite day for visiting Old Cairo, a suburb of the 
capital, is Friday. The reason for stipulating a particular 
time is because on the afternoon of that day the services of 
the Howling Dervishes may be witnessed at their mosque, 
near the aqueduct of Sultan el Ghoree, the boundary of Old 
Cairo. Having in view the narrow streets of the ancient city, 
travellers usually take donkeys for the trip. The evenness of 
the pace of these staunch little creatures insures comfort with- 
out exertion, and the fellah who runs behind to urge the beast 
relieves the rider of all efforts in that direction. The hire of 
a " very good donkey" for an entire afternoon is from six to 
eight piastres, or between thirty and forty cents, exclusive of 
baksheesh. 

In Egypt the sect known as Dervishes is now reduced 
to two bands or tribes of about fifty each, distinguished as 
Danciug and Howling Dervishes, located in the neighborhood 
of Old Cairo. Each has a convent, or common residence, near 
its mosque, and recognizes a sheykh both as a spiritual and 
temporal chief. When the Howling Dervishes assemble for 



56 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

worship, they stand on skins in a semi-circle, facing the wall 
niche which constitutes the altar, with the sheykh in the centre. 
The turbans are removed by an attendant, so that the inva- 
riably long hair is freed for the violent bowing and tossing of 
the head which attend their sepulchral howls. A particular 
tone of voice and movement of the body are started by the 
chief, and immediately followed in concert by those around 
him. After pursuing one form for several minutes, the sheykh 
signals a cessation, upon which a singer chants a few lines, in 
conjunction with a reed instrument which produces plaintive 
notes. Then a different movement and tone follow, both of 
which are energetically sustained until the spectator wonders 
at the powers of endurance. At the conclusion of the hour 
the chief repeats a long benediction and shakes hands with 
such of his followers as may desire the honor. 

The Dancing Dervishes form a circle in an enclosed space 
and, removing their cloaks, advance to salute the sheykh. This 
finished, they elevate their arms and spin round until the bot- 
tom of their weighted gowns is distended by the force of rota- 
tion. Accompanied by native music, this motion is continued 
for several minutes, when a rest is taken merely to commence 
again. The followers of this curious mode of worship are 
constantly dwindling in numbers, indicating that the sect will 
soon become extinct. 

Near Old Cairo, in the Nile, is the island of Rhoda. Upon 
landing there from the rude ferry-boat, the first object to engage 
our attention is the Nilometer. It consists of a square well, 
in the centre of which is a graduated column or measure. The 
water of the river is allowed to enter during the rise, when 
the depth is noted, and the tax upon the lands overflowed 
is rated accordingly. The greater the overflow the more ex- 
tensive will be the deposit of mud, and consequently the more 
fertile will be the ground. During the continuance of the 
inundation the depth marked on the Nilometer is announced 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 57 

daily on the streets of Cairo. The overflow of last summer 
was unfavorable, and the husbandmen, therefore, now com- 
plain of short crops. Around the Kilometer the island of 
E-hoda is a large garden, containing the palace and hareem of 
Hassan Pasha, and farther to the north is the spot where tra- 
dition asserts Moses was found by Thermusis, daughter of the 
then reigning Pharaoh. The king in question was probably 
Rameses II., the predecessor of Menephtah III., in whose 
reign Moses, then a learned priest of the Temple of the Sun, 
at Heliopolis, led the Israelites out of Egypt. "And she 
called his name Moses (i.e. drawn out), and she said, Because 
I drew him out of the water." 

In Old Cairo many of the streets are so narrow that a don- 
key standing crosswise will bar the way. The antique houses, 
with their curious lattice-work balconies, almost obscure the 
sky above, and everywhere strange sights meet the eye. The 
beggars in these alleys are intolerably annoying, and yet no 
remedy is of avail to mitigate the nuisance. After threading 
our way through many of these passages, sometimes passing 
under arches not high enough to allow a rider to sit erect, the 
guide halted at a most repulsive-looking structure. It was the 
Copt Church of Aboo Sirgeh, said to be the earliest Chris- 
tian edifice. Within there is considerable antique decoration 
in carved ivory, mosaics, mother-of-pearl, colored marbles, and 
primitive wood sculptures. Among the latter is a representa- 
tion of St. George, the patron saint of the Copts, killing the 
dragon. This exploit occurred near the city of Beirut, which 
is on the Mediterranean, in Syria. In a subterranean chamber 
of Aboo Sirgeh are shown the apartments said to have been 
occupied by Joseph, the Virgin, and the Child Jesus imme- 
diately after the flight into Egypt, and in a small room is the 
font where the Saviour was baptized. Not far from Aboo 
Sirgeh, in Old Cairo, there are several more Coptic churches, 
including some of the Greek faith, but as there is a similarity in 



58 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

all, a description would scarcely be interesting. The last visit 
in Old Cairo was to the Mosque of Omar, before mentioned, 
which, like many others, has its list of traditions. 

On the Eastern Desert, about four hours' ride from Cairo, 
are the remains of the petrified forest. The route to the spot 
is by the old caravan road to Suez, but the sand is too heavy 
to admit of a pleasant drive. Donkeys can be used, but the 
journey is rather long for that mode of travel. Desiring the 
experience, we concluded to go on camels, or, more properly, 
on dromedaries. The motion of the latter is much easier than 
that of the camel, but either is tiresome enough until the rider 
is inured by several days' travelling. The way from the city 
lies through the tombs of the Borghite Memlook Sultans, but 
better known by the name of the Tombs of the Seven Caliphs. 
They are elaborate mosques, with domes and minarets, all of 
which are fast becoming ruined for the want of attention. 
In each repose the bones of its royal builder, as well as those 
of his family. It was the custom of Egyptian monarchs to 
commence building their tombs immediately upon ascending 
the throne, in order to perpetuate their own names by the gran- 
deur of the edifices. This ruling desire to be remembered 
by coming generations explains the existence of five hundred 
temples of worship in Cairo. Egotism and self-glorification, 
not religion, erected them. Passing these monuments of men's 
weakness, the route continues along a sandy wady close to the 
Mokattam Hills. There, in the Red Mountain, much valuable 
building-stone is quarried. Leaving the hills we were fairly 
upon the desert with nothing in view but sand on all sides, 
and our little caravan of laughing people. Taking the lead 
ropes from the hands of the Bedouin Arabs, we whipped the 
dromedaries into a run to test their speed and our ability to 
stand the violent movement. It may be imagined that the 
penalty for this freak came the following day in an unlimited 
stiffness of the spine and general soreness of the muscles. 



CAIRO AXD ITS VICINITY. 59 

The Petrified Forest, or rather the remains of it, is a slightly 
elevated plateau, covered throughout with pieces of stone of 
various sizes. An examination proves them all to be most 
perfect specimens of petrified wood. Formerly they were sup- 
posed to be of palm-trees, but recent scientific investigators 
have concluded that they are of some extinct species. Among 
the cornelians, agates, and flint found with the petrified wood, 
are many small shells. After examining the ground the 
dromedaries were hobbled and allowed to roam, while we 
enjoyed a hearty lunch spread upon the sand. Our party 
were not sorry when nightfall found the beasts prostrate to 
allow us to dismount before the hotel. 

The most important of all the sights in and around Cairo 
are the Pyramids at Ghizeh. Formerly the route to them was 
tedious and wearying, but now a good road extends the entire 
distance. The drive is of about two hours' duration, or a little 
more than five miles from the west bank of the Nile. Leaving 
the Esbekeeyah and following the new streets, the Nile is 
crossed upon a fine iron bridge from the village of Kasr-el-Nil 
to Boolak. In the latter suburb the road passes close to the 
Museum, the stables of the Khedive, the government printing 
establishment, the government paper-mill, and the Arsenal, 
not to mention sundry palaces belonging to the Khedive and 
his numerous family. The Pyramids are in sight long before 
they are reached, and apparently seem as large at five miles as 
they do at one. 

The instant the carriage halts a swarm of Bedouins grasp 
the lunch-basket, and eagerly present their claims of ability 
to assist the travellers in climbing the renowned monuments. 
As usual, the dragoman castigated several, while we wrested 
the lunch and overcoats from over-anxious assistants. A 
short walk follows from the road to the base of the most 
enduring of all structures ever erected by man. Originally, 
the sides of the pyramids were of smooth polished granite, 



(30 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

but the mediaeval Egyptians appropriated these finished blocks 
to build in Cairo, like their vandal Roman brethren in the 
instance of the Coliseum. The result of this destruction has 
been to leave the surface the same as a great stairway, with 
steps from two to four feet in height. Up these the traveller 
is half lifted, or half pulled and pushed by the Arabs, who 
are dexterous at the business. Cheops, or the Great Pyramid, 
is the one generally ascended, and on its summit there is a 
level platform, about thirty feet square, where a rest and a 
grand view can be had with comfort. The interior of Cheops 
is traversed by slipping along inclined planes of polished 
stones, and sweltering in the heat found within. 

So much has been written concerning the three Great Pyra- 
mids, and even of the six smaller ones of the Ghizeh group, 
that a detailed description here seems unnecessary. Despite 
the reasoning of Professors Proctor and Smyth, and their fol- 
lowers, it is difficult to conclude that the Pyramids were other 
than royal mausolea. Theory alone can be urged to sustain 
any other view ; while indubitable evidence pronounces them 
to be sepulchres, and only sepulchres. Such is the uncertainty 
of Egyptian chronology preceding the arrival of the first 
Greek settlers, or the reign of Psammetichus, B.C. 665, that it 
is impossible to estimate correctly the date of the erection of 
the Pyramids. The builders of these monuments were kings 
of the Fourth Dynasty, — Memphite sovereigns, — and accord- 
ing to Bunsen, Cheops reigned B.C. 3229. Lepsius locates the 
date as B.C. 3426; while Mariette Bey — the latest reliable 
authority — declares that " the Pyramids are already six or 
seven thousand years old." Napoleon's forty centuries are too 
few by more than half. 

Accepting Mariette's measurements as worthy of confidence, 
we have four hundred and seventy-nine feet as the original 
height of Cheops, and about seven hundred and sixty-four 
feet as the length of each side of the base. The area covered 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. Q\ 

is about eleven acres. The removal of the apex has reduced 
the height to four hundred and fifty-three feet, and the base 
has likewise suffered in the loss of the casing-stones. The 
large blocks used in the construction of the Pyramids were 
transported from the river on a great causeway of masonry 
devised for the purpose. The task was accomplished by the 
employment of sledges and men, worked by oxen and slaves. 
The mode of elevating the heavy blocks of stone is unknown. 
It is probable, however, that the Egyptians were familiar with 
the use of derricks, but there is no pictorial sculpture or 
papyrus absolutely to confirm the supposition. 

The imposing stability of the Pyramids, and the intricacy of 
their entrances, were designed to secure the complete safety and 
preservation of the bodies of the departed kings, — a condition 
held to be requisite to insure immortality. A small temple 
was originally attached to each pyramid for the deification and 
worship of the king it contained. 

The Sphinx stands in front of the second pyramid, and 
about six hundred yards from Cheops. This colossal relic was 
carved out of the native solid rock, excepting the head, which 
was added. Its origin is unknown ; but an inscribed stone, 
which was inserted to announce certain repairs, proves that 
its creation antedates the Pyramids. The Sphinx was held 
by the Egyptians to be typical of one form of the god Horus 
(Harmachis), whose mission was to avenge the death of his 
father, Osiris, by destroying the evil spirit Typhon. In the 
prehistoric period of Egypt Horus was the second king in the 
reign of the gods, Osiris having been the first. Hence, the 
Sphinx became symbolic of the monarch, or a combination of 
intellectual and physical power, and as such was worshipped 
as a deity. Its length is one hundred and forty feet, with the 
fore paws extending an additional fifty feet in front. The 
height, according to Mariette, is sixty-five feet, and the cir- 
cumference of the forehead one hundred and two feet. "When 



62 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

first exhumed a paved enclosed place was found between the 
paws which contained evidences of having been a small chapel 
or temple. 

Five and a half miles from Cairo, in the land of Goshen, 
is the site of Heliopolis, or Ra, the city of the sun, and the 
most ancient capital of Egypt. The excursion is a drive of 
less than two hours through a country yet " the best in the 
land of Egypt." (Gen. xlvii. 6.) The road, upon leaving 
Cairo, passes the Khedive's palace of the Abbassieh, and thence 
by the village of Matareeah. Near the latter is the old syca- 
more, called the " Virgin's Tree," under which the Holy 
Family is reputed to have rested in the flight. Although this 
traditional relic is enclosed by a fence, but little care is taken 
of the tree, as its proprietor readily gave us a dozen small pieces 
for a piastre (five cents). Close by it the blood orange, the 
richest in Egypt, grows luxuriantly. It is probable that the 
Balm of Gilead, similar to that which the Queen of Sheba pre- 
sented to Solomon, was formerly produced in the same vicinity. 

Heliopolis is about half a mile beyond Matareeah, but the 
dead city is distinguished only by a single obelisk and remains 
of masonry, which Mariette pronounces to be those of the 
temenos, or " enclosing wall of the principal temple." The 
sanctuary in question was the chief seat of Egyptian learning, 
and within its walls Moses studied for the priesthood. At 
Heliopolis Joseph took Asenath for a wife, and there also 
Jeremiah wrote his Lamentations. The solitary obelisk is 
the oldest of all those grand monuments now remaining in- 
tact. If others existed at earlier periods, all trace of them 
has been lost. The creation of this shaft is attributed to 
the Theban king, Osirtesen I., the second of the twelfth 
dynasty, whose cartouche appears in the dedication. Sliarpe 
fixes the reign between 1700 and 1550 B.C.; Sir Gardner 
Wilkinson, at B.C. 2020; Professor Lepsius, at B.C. 2120; 
Chevalier Bunsen, at B.C. 2654; and Mariette Bey dates the 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 63 

dynasty from B.C. 3064. The last is probably the most reli- 
able, it being based on the lists of Manetho, the Egyptian 
historian, and corroborated by the new tablet of Abydos, a 
chronological table of kings which the conservator of Egyptian 
remains discovered in 1865. 

A single perpendicular line of hieroglyphics ornaments each 
side of the obelisk, and records its erection by Osirtesen I. 
The inscription, with one slight exception, is the same on all 
sides. A myriad of wasps' nests now completely obscures the 
carvings on two of the surfaces. Authorities differ regarding 
its height, but sixty-six feet two inches is given as the latest 
measurement. Nearly six feet of the length is buried in the 
accumulation of soil deposited by the Nile; and the stone, 
even at the surface of the ground, presents sad evidences of the 
destruction caused by repeated visits of the water. The oppo- 
site sides only are equal, the measurements at the base being 
six feet one inch and six feet three inches. Pococke gives six 
feet and six feet four inches as his finding in the same connec- 
tion. The southern side of the shaft is the best preserved, 
while the western is in the worst condition, on account of 
having scaled to a height of about fifteen feet. The mate to 
the obelisk has disappeared with the other remnants of the 
once celebrated city. 

The renowned traveller, Henry M. Stanley, arrived at Shep- 
heard's on December 31 from his long journey of explora- 
tion in the interior of Africa. On New Year's day we had 
the pleasure of an hour's conversation with him in his room, 
when he gave the following summary of his work : Leaving 
England on August 15, 1874, he went to Zanzibar, on the 
east coast, to organize the expedition. Starting from that city 
with a total force of three hundred and forty-seven men, he 
commenced the first allotted task of settling the problem of 
the sources of the Nile, which was satisfactorily accomplished. 
Secondly, he was to finish the expeditions of either Baker or 



64 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

Burton, and he chose the route of Burton. He, however, fol- 
lowed the other sufficiently far to sight Baker's Lake and add 
to the discoveries around that body of water. Lastly, he un- 
dertook to determine whether the river Lualaba was a tribu- 
tary of the Nile or of the Congo, and it proved to be of the 
latter, as the voyage down the Lualaba brought the explorer 
out on the Congo. 

Stanley emerged on the western coast of Africa on August 
11, 1877, with but one hundred and fifteen men. Thence he 
sailed around the Cape of Good Hope back to Zanzibar, nine 
more men dying on the voyage. At Zanzibar he discharged 
his little army, made presents to the relatives of his dead fol- 
lowers, and returned to Cairo by the way of Suez. During his 
three years in the interior, seven thousand four hundred miles 
were accomplished, of which six thousand four hundred were 
over country never before trodden by explorers. The con- 
tinual reduction in the number of his force was caused by 
conflicts with hostile tribes and by fevers. Stanley himself 
suffered more or less from fever, but after having become 
thoroughly acclimated the attacks were not of a serious nature. 
He is below the average stature, of medium weight, has a full 
head of iron-gray hair and a moustache, and his face is intelli- 
gent as well as handsome. His address is easy and pleasant, 
and though he has been beyond the limits of civilization for 
three years, the ordeal has left no impression on his courteous 
demeanor. 

Stanley remained in Cairo a few days, and then went al- 
most directly to London. There he prepared the results of 
his explorations in the now famous work, " Through the Dark 
Continent." In the spring of the present year (1879) Stanley 
accepted a commission from the King of Belgium to reorgan- 
ize the hitherto unsuccessful Belgian expedition, and he has 
already embarked in his new mission. He purposes opening 
up the Congo River from the West Coast. 



CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY. 65 

General Grant was expected at Cairo on the New Year's 
day above noted, and upon his arrival, a few days later, he 
was invited to accept the Shoobra Palace as his residence. 
The Prince of Wales has twice occupied the same quarters, 
and, as a rule, the Khedive there entertains all distinguished 
personages. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 



Throughout our travels in the Levant, the references to 
Mohammedanism must necessarily be frequent, and hence it 
may be well, before proceeding on the Nile voyage, to devote 
a chapter to so important a subject. 

Nothing is so strange to contemplate studiously as the re- 
ligions of the world. Man, however high or low his estate, 
instinctively seeks a religion, — that something by which, di- 
rectly or indirectly, he may appeal to a supreme being. A 
faith revered by one is ridiculed by another; and these radical 
differences are in no manner harmonized by the presence of the 
highest civilization. These considerations should induce toler- 
ance and liberality in the investigation of systems not our own, 
and in that spirit let us examine a creed which has wrought 
enduring impressions on a large area of the world's population. 

Amid the idolatry and superstition which prevailed in the 
East early in the seventh century, the doctrines of Moham- 
med were born in mystery and propagated by the sword. In 
less than a century succeeding the prophet's death the faith 
of Islam was already established throughout Arabia, Egypt, 
Persia, and Syria, as well as along the northern coast of Africa 
to the Pillars of Hercules. The victorious arms of Tarik 
quickly reduced Spain, and next the Roman Empire of the 
East bowed to the triumphant descendants of Osman. Fur- 
ther conquests installed the crescent in the regions of the Indus 
and the Nile, the Euphrates and the Danube. Central Eu- 

66 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 67 

rope was threatened and Vienna twice besieged, but with the 
advent of the eighteenth century commenced that decline which 
is yet to terminate. However, throughout the vast expanse of 
terrritory from China to Morocco, the followers of the Prophet 
yet aggregate one hundred and thirty millions, and in Africa 
the number is increasing. 

During the growing ascendency of El-Islam the caliphs of 
the house of Abbas displaced the Omeyade dynasty of Damas- 
cus, and the former in turn were overcome, in 1516, by Selim 
I., of the Osmanli line. Since then the Ottoman sultans have 
assumed the title of Commander of the Faithful, as the suc- 
cessors of Omar and Haroun ; and Constantinople has been 
regarded as the seat of the supreme spiritual and temporal 
power. 

The crescent, which is the device of the Ottoman Empire, 
is not of Muslim origin. It is related that, during the siege 
of Byzantium, in 340 B.C., when the Athenians were assist- 
ing to defend the city against Philip of Macedon, it so hap- 
pened that the Macedonians, while attempting to carry an as- 
sault at night, were discovered by a miraculous light which 
suddenly appeared in the heavens. The besieged were thus 
enabled to frustrate the attack, and in commemoration of this 
celestial aid a crescent was stamped upon Byzantine coins as 
the symbol of the empire. Upon the accession of the Osmanli 
sultans the crescent was continued as their emblem. It is also 
a tradition that the crescent was adopted by the Muslims, be- 
cause the moon was new during Mohammed's flight from 
Mecca to Medina. 

It is to be regretted that the scope of our subject will permit 
no more than a mere enumeration of the principal mosques of 
the Mohammedan world. The holiest of all is the Ka'aba, at 
Mecca, with its surrounding colonnade or temple. The second 
in degree of veneration is the Mosque of Omar, built by that 
valiant champion upon the site of Solomon's Temple, adjoin- 



Q$ OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ing the eastern wall of Jerusalem, and overlooking the Mount 
of Olives. Probably the third in rank, but the first in gran- 
deur, is Justinian's Church of Santa Sophia, at Stamboul, the 
House of Divine Wisdom, which rivalled Solomon's Temple 
in its expensive decorations. The Masjid El Nabawi, or 
Prophet's Mosque, at Medina, was the first ever constructed, 
and it remains a revered shrine as the sepulchre of the Prophet. 
The Mosque of Eyoub, on the Golden Horn, is among the 
holiest as the scene of the ceremony of girding the sultans 
with the sword of Osman, which is equivalent to a coronation. 

The Great Mosque of Damascus is the chief sanctuary of 
Syria, and Cairo boasts of the Mosque El-Azhar, which is 
celebrated as the Muslim University. In point of graceful 
design the Mosque of Suleimanieh, at Constantinople, doubt- 
less has no rival ; and the Achmedieh, the State mosque of 
Turkey, is also a beautiful example of oriental architecture. 

Mohammed or Mahomet, the founder of the faith of El- 
Islam, was born in Mecca, a.d. 569, '70, or '71. Marvel- 
lous legends are told of the supernatural occurrences attending 
his birth. His father, Abdallah, who died previous to the 
Prophet's nativity, was of the Hashim family, a branch of 
the exalted and powerful tribe of Koreish. His grandfather, 
Abd-el-Muttalib, was the custodian of the Ka'aba at Mecca, 
an ancient temple attributed to Abraham, and the reverenced 
centre of Arabian idolatry. Originally the Prophet was 
called Halabi or Kothan, but later in life he assumed the 
name of Mohammed, which signifies " most worthy of praise." 
Fabulous traditions attend the childhood of this remarkable 
man. Amina, the mother who bore him without the pains of 
travail, died when the precocious child was in his sixth year. 
This happened while the pair were returning to Mecca from a 
visit to the tomb of his father at Medina. The care of the 
boy then devolved upon his grandfather, Abd-el-Muttalib, 
until the death of that patriarch, two years later, transferred 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 69 

the charge to Abu-Talib, the Prophet's uncle, and by right of 
primogeniture the keeper of the Ka'aba. Mohammed tended 
his uncle's flocks, and lived in the sacerdotal atmosphere of 
the temple until his twelfth year, when he first accompanied 
his relative in a commercial caravan to Syria. When twenty- 
five years of age he entered the service of a wealthy widow, 
Khadija by name, a woman in her fortieth year. His suc- 
cessful conduct of her caravans to Syria and Southern Arabia, 
and the influence of alleged miracles surrounding Mohammed, 
as well as her love, induced Khadija to propose marriage, and 
she was accepted. 

While on one of these journeys, Bahira, a Nestorian monk 
at Bostra, a city east of the Jordan, discovered the prophetic 
light in Mohammed's face, and a black mole, the mark of a 
celestial mission, between his shoulders. The opportunities 
offered by travel to observe the various forms of religion in- 
spired Mohammed with an intense aversion to heathenism and 
idolatry in general, or, as he termed it, to the " age of igno- 
rance and folly." This profound hatred of prevailing super- 
stitions developed into a consuming mania, which nearly un- 
settled his reason. During an attack of epilepsy he withdrew, 
as was his custom in the holy month of Ramadan, to a cave on 
Mount Hira, near Mecca, and there, while in excited medita- 
tion or in a dream, was convinced that he had received revela- 
tions from Heaven. Returning home, he averred that the angel 
Gabriel had appeared in a halo of light, and proclaimed him 
the Prophet of God. Similar visions and spiritual communi- 
cations followed ; but, for a season, the members of his house- 
hold were alone initiated as converts. Finally, after his little 
band of disciples had preserved secrecy for three years, a rev- 
elation enjoined him to " arise, preach, and magnify the Lord." 
Assembling the tribe of Koreish on the Mount of Safa, near 
Mecca, Mohammed unfolded his mission. A disturbance fol- 
lowed, but proselytes gathered regardless of persecution. As 



70 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the cause advanced the opposition became threatening, and the 
truest of his believers were compelled to seek refuge in the do- 
minions of the Nestorian Christian king of Abyssinia. His 
family now suffered excommunication, and in the midst of the 
most serious complications his wife and his uncle died. At 
length the Prophet was forced to seek safety elsewhere, and 
Medina was by invitation the chosen haven. This flight from 
Mecca to Medina occurred between the 20th and 28th of June, 
a.d. 622, and constitutes the Hejrah* from which the Muslim 
world dates its era. 

The Prophet at once established himself as autocrat of 
Medina, where the first mosque was built, and the faith of 
Islam thoroughly established. El-Islam signifies subjection 
or resignation to the will of God, and its followers are in 
Arabic the Moslemtina or Muslims, the resigned or believers. 
This doctrine is expressed in the second Sura of the Koran : 

" Lord, make us also resigned unto thee, and of our pos- 
terity a people resigned unto thee." 

At Medina, Mohammed took to himself Ayesha and several 
other wives, thereby necessitating a special revelation to over- 
come the violation of a former law which limited a man to 
four spouses. His policy of obtaining converts by persuasion, 
as well as the injunction to avoid resentment, was now in the 
hour of strength replaced by the warlike command : 

" Let those who promulgate my faith enter into no argument 
nor discussion, but slay all who refuse obedience to the law." 

Caravans from Mecca were boldly robbed by the Muslims, 
and wars followed. The victory over the Meccans at the 
battle of Bedr, in January, a.d. 624, served to extend Moham- 
med's sway ; but in A.D. 625 an avenging army marched from 

* This word is more commonly but less correctly written Heg-i-ra. In 
the original Arabic it has but two syllables. The era is computed from 
the beginning of the lunar year, July 16, a.d. 622, or, as given by some, 
April 19, a.d. 622. 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 71 

Mecca, and defeated the Saracens on the field of Ohod. This 
check was, however, but of a temporary character. Dissen- 
sions with the Jews now became irreconcilable, and in a.d. 
628 the Prophet despatched ambassadors to various sovereigns 
with invitations to embrace the faith of El-Islam. In some 
instances the embassies were well received, but in others the 
overtures were haughtily disdained. The relations of Medina 
and Mecca once more became unsettled, and Mohammed planned 
the reduction of the place by surprise. Marching from Me- 
dina, at the head of ten thousand men, he approached the 
Holy City before any preparation for defence could be made, 
and, seeing the futility of resistance, the gates were opened to 
him as a conqueror. Upon entering Mecca, Mohammed pro- 
ceeded directly to the Ka'aba, around which he made the tra- 
ditional seven circuits, and then touched the black stone which 
the angel Gabriel gave to Abraham and Ishmael. The most 
exalted aspiration of his iconoclastic mission was now to be 
realized, and the word went forth to purify the holy temple of 
its idolatrous abominations. The entire three hundred and 
sixty idols of the Arabian pantheon were destroyed, and paint- 
ings of angels in the image of female beauty suffered a like 
fate. 

This great victory finally and permanently established the 
new religion in Arabia, a.d. 630, or eight years after the 
Hejrah. Further conquests followed, and an expedition threat- 
ened even Byzantium. While busying himself with prepara- 
tions for other wars, Mohammed fell ill of a fever at Medina, 
and died in the arms of his favorite wife, Ayesha, on the 8th 
day of June, A.D. 632, or the 12th of the third month (Rabea 
el Awwal), in the eleventh year of the Hejrah. His death 
happened exactly on the sixty-third anniversary of his nativity. 
A grave was dug in the house of Ayesha, beneath the bed on 
which he died, and adjoining the Masjid El-Xabawi, or the 
Prophet's Mosque. After intense distress and lamentations by 



72 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

the faithful, he was there interred on the third night succeeding 
his death. 

The fundamental principle of El-Islam, comprising all 
sects, is embodied in the dogma, " There is no God but God, 
and Mohammed is the Prophet of God." The unity of the 
Deity and entire submission to God, together with an accept- 
ance of Mohammed's revelations, are virtually the Muslim 
creed. Subordinate to these are included a belief in the angels 
of God, in written revelation and the prophets, in the resurrec- 
tion of the body, in the day of judgment and eternal life, and 
in predestination. The number of accepted prophets is very 
great, but the principal among them, and those who proclaimed 
new laws or dispensations, were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, 
Jesus, and Mohammed. The four angels held in especial 
reverence above all others are Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and 
Uriel. The evil spirit Eblis, the Satan of the Koran, was origi- 
nally one of the most favored of God, but was cast out for dis- 
obedience. Belief is also entertained in the Jin or Genii, who 
were created " of fire clear from smoke," and exist in a sphere 
between angels and mortals. The spiritual conception of Christ 
is accepted, but the mystery of the Holy Incarnation is rejected 
in the passages, " They are surely infidels, who say verily God 
is Christ, the son of Mary," and " They are certainly infidels, 
who say God is the third of three, for there is no God beside 
one God." Again, it is declared that Jesus was no more " than 
a servant whom God favored with the gift of prophecy," and 
that He was not crucified in reality, but " was represented by 
one in His likeness." 

The cardinal points of practice require prayer with ablution, 
the giving of alms, fulfilment of the fast of Ramadan, and 
the pilgrimage to Mecca. Idolatry of every description is 
prohibited, and the importance of prayer is urgently inculcated 
as " the key of Paradise." Friday is the Mohammedan Sun- 
day (Yawm al Jonia), but the faithful are exhorted to orisons 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 73 

five times each day. The choice of Friday as the Sabbath is 
variously ascribed. It is thought to have been the day of 
congregation previous to the establishment of El-Islam ; and 
it so happened that the Prophet arrived at Medina on Friday, 
upon the occasion of the Hejrah. Friday was also revered 
because God is supposed to have completed the creation on 
that day. 

The adan, or call to prayer, is chanted in strained tones 
from the mad'neh, or minaret of the mosques, by a subordi- 
nate known as a muezzin or mueddin. Lane gives the follow- 
ing translation of the substance of the adan : 

" God is most great" (said four times). " I testify there is 
no deity but God" (twice). "I testify that Mohammed is 
God's apostle" (twice). " Come to prayer" (twice). " Come 
to security" (twice). " God is most great" (twice). " There is 
no deity but God." 

The morning call also contains the twice-repeated sentence, 
" Prayer is better than sleep," which is inserted after " Come 
to security." While upon the Nile our Mohammedan drago- 
man gave his version of the adan, which is here included for 
comparison with the above : " God is great. God is most great. 
I testify there is no God but God, and Mohammed is the 
messenger of God. Come to prayer. Come to security. God 
is great. God is most great. There is no God but God." 

Two night calls — one at midnight and the other an hour 
before daybreak — are intoned from each of the mosques 
founded by a monarch, as well as from a few of the larger of 
the general sanctuaries. The five regular daily salahs, or 
prayers, are commanded at stated intervals, viz. : in the morn- 
ing, at daybreak ; when the sun commences to decline from 
the meridian, just succeeding noon; in the afternoon, when 
the sun is midway between the zenith and the horizon ; in the 
evening, immediately following sunset; and, finally, when it 
is fairly night. The precise time of sunrise, noon, and sunset 



74 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

was avoided by Mohammed, that his people might in no 
manner imitate the Sabseans or other followers of Baal, who 
worshipped the sun at those moments. Prayers are not neces- 
sarily said in the mosques, but wherever the believer may be 
at the appointed periods. The face must be toward Mecca, 
and ablution previous to devotion is required by the Koran. 
If water cannot be had, sand may be substituted. Shoes are 
never worn during the salah, and a rug or garment is spread 
for the devotee. Women are rarely seen in the mosques, and 
their presence is forbidden at the stated times of prayer. The 
weaker sex were recommended by the Prophet to pray at home, 
although the Koran contains no statute requiring the exclusion 
which is now strictly enforced. 

At the Mosque of Sitteh, or Seyyideh Zeyneb, — the grand- 
daughter of the Prophet, — at Cairo, we were permitted to 
witness the Mohammedan service. The devotees form parallel 
ranks facing the mehrab or niche, and therefore looking towards 
Mecca. The Imam, or minister who recites the prayers, like- 
wise faces the niche, and consequently presents his back to the 
congregation. The prayers are chanted in a nasal tone by the 
Imam alone, the people following him in the many different 
attitudes required by the Mohammedan ritual. Our native 
Christian dragoman urged us to abstain from entering while 
the rites were in progress, but failing to inculcate his fears he 
accompanied us and remained a nervous spectator. Beyond 
repelling glances and harmless chattering in Arabic we were 
in no wise molested. The bowwab or doorkeeper, however, 
insisted upon a liberal baksheesh to compensate for the intru- 
sion. Four piastres (about twenty cents) propitiated the 
Prophet, and mollified the practical conscience of his follower. 

Polygamy to the extent of four wives is permitted ; intoxi- 
cating drinks are forbidden ; divorce is accomplished by a 
single word froui the husband; circumcision is customary; 
hospitality is enjoined ; war against the enemies of El-Islam 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 75 

is a sacred duty ; gaming is to be eschewed ; swine's flesh and 
blood are not to be eaten ; usury is unlawful ; infidelity must 
be proved by four witnesses ; concubinage is sanctioned ; and a 
woman may not marry until three months after being divorced. 
The fast of Ramadan is rigorously performed in compliance 
with the Koranic law, which likewise explains the reason for 
its observance. " The month of Ramadan shall ye fast, in 
which the Koran was sent down from Heaven, . . . but he 
who shall be sick, or on a journey, shall fast the like number 
of other days/ 7 Eating and drinking are forbidden from day- 
break to sunset, but during the night the devotee may partake 
of any number of repasts. This period of abstinence virtually 
corresponds with the Christian lent; but, as the Muslim year 
is lunar, the month of Ramadan shifts through all the seasons. 
The solar year is eleven days longer than the lunar, and hence 
Ramadan makes the entire circuit of the season every thirty- 
three years. 

The pilgrimage to Mecca is obligatory with every believer 
at least once in his life. Unless he has performed this sacred 
duty, his chances of paradise are no better than those of the 
infidel. The ritual requires that the start shall be made either 
in the month of Shawal or Zu'lka'adeh, according to the length 
of the journey, in order to be present in the Holy City early 
in Zu'lheggeh. The last, as its name implies, is the month " of 
the pilgrimage/' and also forms the close of the Mohammedan 
year. The main caravans start from Cairo and Damascus. 
The latter is joined by the pilgrims from Turkey in Europe, 
Anatolia, and elsewhere throughout the north of the Moham- 
medan world. The route from Damascus is through Myerib 
and Medina, and from Cairo around the head of the Persian 
Gulf. Camels with gaudy trappings and litters are employed 
for the work. The journey from Damascus overland to Medina 
consumes twenty-seven days, and thence to Mecca the distance 
is about two hundred and seventy miles. Since the introduc- 



76 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

tion of steamships, many of the less indigent Muslims proceed 
by water directly to Jeddah, the port of Mecca. 

The caravan from Cairo is always accompanied by a tall 
camel bearing the mahmal, or the symbol of royalty, in lieu 
of the ruler's presence. This object of reverence is a square 
frame-work of wood with a pyramidal top, and covered with 
black brocade, enriched with golden inscriptions and embroid- 
ery. Colored silks, fringes, gilt balls, and crescents also enter 
into the ornamentation, and two copies of the Koran are at- 
tached to the apex of the pyramidal top. The kiswah, or 
covering for the Ka'aba, is likewise prepared in Cairo at the 
Sultan's expense, and taken to Mecca at the time of the pilgrim- 
age. It is made of heavy black damask or brocade with a 
cotton lining, and embellished with interwoven inscriptions and 
a band of gold. This covering is of sufficient dimensions to 
envelop the Ka'aba, which is nearly cubical in form and about 
thirty feet high. It remains in position from one annual pil- 
grimage to another, and upon its renewal the old one is borne 
back in state to Cairo, where it is distributed in small pieces to 
the pilgrims. 

When the weary caravans approach the haram, or hallowed 
territory of the Holy City, the ordinary garb of the orientals 
must be exchanged for the ehram, or sacred dress. This con- 
sists only of two wraps of cotton, linen, or wool ; one for the 
loins and the other for the shoulders. A peculiar form of 
slipper is also worn, as the instep and heel of each foot are 
required to be bare, as well as the head. While thus attired 
all dissension must be avoided, and not even vermin may be 
harmed. Having entered the city, the pilgrims proceed im- 
mediately to the temple and commence the rites of their mis- 
sion. These, in brief, are as follows : The seven circuits of 
the Ka'aba, kissing or touching the black stone each time ; 
the running between the pillars on Mounts Safa and Marwa, 
those monuments being regarded as emblems of divine justice ; 






THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 77 

the expedition to Mount Ararat on the ninth of Zu'lheggeh to 
hear the Klmtbeh or sermon, and attend other devotions ; the 
casting of seven stones at a mark symbolic of Satan in the val- 
ley of Mina, and finally the sacrificial offering and feast in the 
same valley of Mina on the tenth of Zu'lheggeh, together with 
the subsequent shaving of heads, clipping of nails, and re- 
sumption of the ihlal, or secular garb. These last ceremonies 
at Mecca are on the same day celebrated throughout Moham- 
medan countries as the great Beiram or festival, when sacri- 
fices, prayer, and rejoicing become general. 

Having completed the requirements of the pilgrimage, a 
parting visit to the Ka'aba ensues, and the caravans prepare 
for the homeward journey. Many pilgrims, before leaving, 
secure vessels with holy water from the well Zemzem, as pre- 
cious gifts to friends at home. The Muslims identify Zemzem 
as the spring at which Hagar and Ishmael drank during their 
wanderings. The return of the caravans is anxiously awaited 
in the cities, and upon the announcement of their approach 
relatives often go out some distance to welcome the wayfarers 
with new clothing and fresh provisions. When the pilgrimage 
is accomplished entirely by land, death often results from ex- 
posure and privation, and thus the shrieks and lamentations 
of the bereaved are mingled with the joy and pomp of the 
reception. 

An officer of an English steamer cruising on the Red Sea 
for the suppression of the slave-trade, furnished the following 
interesting particulars of the pilgrimage of 1878 : 

" We were sent from Aden to Jeddah during the Hadj, or 
festival of the pilgrimage to the shrine of the Prophet at 
Mecca, and I was astonished at the multitudes who took part 
in it. At one time there were no few r er than twenty-five Eng- 
lish steamers in the harbor, either bringing pilgrims or waiting 
to take them back. The war has made no difference in the num- 
bers, which are annually increasing. I obtained the following 



78 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

returns from the French sanitary officer, and as all the pil- 
grims are obliged to pass through his hands, the figures may 
be relied upon as trustworthy. The number who came by 
sea were: in 1875, 35,279; in 1876, 38,759; and in 1877, 
42,718. By land, 57,000 came this year in caravans, making 
a total of about 100,000 in all. Since the war broke out in 
Turkey the French government have not permitted any of 
the Algerian Arabs to make the pilgrimage. We remained 
at Jeddah a month, endeavoring to maintain order in the 
English steamers during the disembarkation of the wretched 
pilgrims, who were robbed by everybody, and of whom the 
Turkish government take very little care, although the Grand 
Sheriffe at Mecca is second only in rank to the Sultan, and is 
said to be a lineal descendant of Mahomet. (I tried in vain 
to discover where the flag of the Prophet was kept, the unfold- 
ing of which means death to all who are not true believers.) 
The Hadj last year occurred on Friday, the 14th of December, 
and we remained at Jeddah until the 6th of January, greatly 
to the risk of our men's lives. On Christmas day cholera 
broke out at Mecca, where ninety persons died, and thirteen at 
Jeddah. The mortality continued for some days, thirty-seven 
being, I believe, the largest number who died in one day at 
Jeddah. The whole subject of the pilgrimage requires looking 
into, but it is not our business except so far as English subjects 
are concerned, and I must say they are fairly looked after, the 
consular agents giving all the assistance in their power." 

The Koran, or Muslim Bible, was revealed to Mohammed 
in portions through a period of twenty-three years. The word 
signifies " the reading," or " that which ought to be read." 
The book is divided into one hundred and fourteen Suras, or 
chapters, of various lengths and titles. Some contain but a 
few lines, while others embrace many pages. The designations 
of many of the Suras are exceedingly curious, including such 
as the Cow, the Table, Cattle, Thunder, Congealed Blood, the 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 79 

Poets, the Wrapped Up, the War Horses Which Run Swiftly, 
the Elephant, and Those Who Tear Forth. Following the 
caption is a statement where the Sura was revealed, and, lastly, 
in every instance except the ninth, are the words, "In the 
Name of the Most Merciful God." As an example of the 
whole, one of the shortest Swas will be given complete : 

"CHAPTEK CIV. 

"entitled, the slanderer ; REVEALED AT MECCA. 
11 In the Name of the Most Merciful God. 

" Woe unto every slanderer and backbiter : who heapeth up 
riches and prepareth the same for the time to come. He thinketh 
that his riches will render him immortal. By no means. He 
shall surely be cast into al Hotarna.* And what shall cause 
thee to understand what al Hotama is f It is the kindled fire 
of GOD, which shall mount above the hearts of those who 
shall be cast therein. Verily, it shall be as an arched vault 
above them, on columns of vast extent." 

The diction of the Koran in general is eminently simple 
and beautiful. Not only is it the Arabic classic standard, but 
the Muslims also regard it as perfection and beyond human 
imitation. Mohammed advanced this impressive argument to 
confirm its celestial origin, and the pretence is strengthened by 
the belief that the Prophet was unable to write. No evidence 
exists that he possessed this ability, and the fact is known that 
the revelations were taken down by amanuenses. Some have 
thought they were partly conceived and written by the monk 
Bahira, who visited Mohammed at Mecca. Whatever may have 
been their inception, the utterances of the Koran are to a great 
extent based upon the Old Testament, from which Mohammed 
probably imbibed his teachings. No attempt was made to 

* Hell, or one of its divisions. 



80 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

arrange the mass as a book until in the reign of Abu Bekr, 
which followed Mohammed's death. Othman, the third Caliph, 
caused the work to be revised to correct alleged inaccuracies 
and contradictions. It may be regarded as certain that the 
Koran of to-day is not purely that which the Prophet gave to 
his disciples, and the changes have perverted much that was 
meritorious. Certainly the sequence of the Suras is not in the 
chronological succession in which they came into existence. 
Instead, the order of length has been adopted, with the longest 
first. According to the Muslim creed, the Koran is uncreated 
and virtually the essence of God, and coeval with the Deity in 
eternity. Originally, it was written in rays of light upon the 
preserved tablet near the celestial throne. The initial revela- 
tion was brought down to the lowest heaven by the angel 
Gabriel, and communicated to Mohammed in the night of al 
Kadr,* in the month of Ramadan, as before stated. 

" Verily, we sent down the Koran in the night of al Kadr. 
And what shall make thee understand how excellent the night 
of al Kadr is? The night of al Kadr is better than a thou- 
sand months. Therein do the angels descend, and the spirit 
Gabriel also, by the permission of their LORD, with his de- 
crees concerning every matter. It is peace until the rising of 
the morn." 

During the period of twenty-three years Mohammed avowed 
that he continued to receive disclosures, both at Mecca and 
Medina; sometimes through the angel Gabriel, at others by 
direct inspiration, and again through God himself, " veiled and 
unveiled, in waking or in the dreams of the night." God is 
uniformly the speaker throughout the Koran, but Mohammed's 
personal sayings and actions were reverently noted during his 
lifetime, and gathered from traditions after his death. These 
compose the material of the work called the Sunnah, which is 

* Power, or the divine decree. 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 81 

the accepted oral law of Islam. The credulity of the faithful 
must have been severely tested by the frequency of revelations 
adapted to the exigencies of pending occasions. The Prophet's 
notable passion for female beauty necessitated several to legalize 
his proceedings, aud conveniently enough they were always 
forthcoming. 

An instance of this species of audacity is found in the case 
of the wife of his adopted son, Zeid. Happening in the house 
of his protege unannounced, the lovely young Zeinab-bint- 
Jahsh was beheld in an attire which displayed her beauty. 
So magnetic was her comeliness that the Prophet was unable 
to repress the exclamation, "God be praised, who turneth 
the hearts of men as he pleaseth." Upon the return of her 
husband the wife related the interview. Zeid, in his devo- 
tion, ran to Mohammed, and volunteered to divorce the bride 
of his heart. Mohammed urged the Koranic law, which for- 
bade a man to marry his adopted son's divorced wife. Zeid 
disregarded the objection in order that he might gratify his 
chief's predominant weakness. The sacrifice was, of course, 
finally accepted; but popular opinion denounced the new mar- 
riage as incestuous. The emergency demanded an avenue of 
escape, and it was found in this opportune and artful reve- 
lation : 

" It is not jit for a true believer of either sex, when GOD 
and his apostle have decreed a thing, that they should have 
the liberty of choosing a different matter of their own ; and 
whoever is disobedient under GOD and his apostle surely 
erreth with a manifest error. And remember when thou 
saidst to him unto whom GOD has been gracious {i.e. Zeid), 
and on whom thou also hadst conferred favors, Keep thy wife 
to thyself and fear GOD : and thou didst conceal that in thy 
mind which GOD had determined to discover, and didst fear 
men ; whereas it was more just that thou shouldst fear GOD. 
But when Zeid had determined the matter concerning her, and 



82 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

had resolved to divorce her, we joined her in marriage unto 
thee, lest a crime should be charged on the true believers in 
marrying the wives of their adopted sons, when they had de- 
termined the matter concerning them : and the command of 
GOD is to be performed. No crime is to be charged on the 
Prophet as to what GOD has allowed him. . . . Mohammed 
is not the father of any man among you, but the apostle of 
GOD and the seal of the prophets : and GOD knoweth all 
things. . . . O Prophet, we have allowed thee thy wives unto 
whom thou hast given their dower, and also the slaves which 
thy right hand possesseth, . . . and any other believing woman, 
if she give herself unto the Prophet, in case the Prophet de- 
sireth to take her to wife. This is a peculiar privilege granted 
unto thee, above the rest of the true believers." 

The influence of the affairs of life, of the natural inclina- 
tions of the man, and of the development of his religion, are 
all reflected in the Koran. The revelations concerning these 
things, while they are always in justification, may at times be 
construed by the unbelieving reader as almost apologetical. 
When his cause had but few adherents, he preached meekness 
and patience ; but with the accession of power came the new 
dispensation, "The sword is the key of Heaven and hell." 
In brief, the Koran is the mirror of the varying emotions of 
zealous human nature subjected to changing dominations. 
The conflicts between the spirit and the flesh are evident; and, 
whatever may have been Mohammed's incentive or hallucina- 
tion, the impartial student must acknowledge the sincerity of 
his conviction. His habits were simple, and even abstemious; 
his love of justice was in accord with his practices; his home 
life was marked by kindness and moderation ; and his mind 
displayed unusual perception, reflection, and imagination. His 
faith and piety, as he had been given to understand them, were 
consistent and unwavering to the end. Conscious of his ap- 
proaching dissolution, in the moment of death he exclaimed, 



THE FAITH OF EL-ISLAM. 83 

"O Allah! be it so! Among the glorious associates in Para- 
dise ! Yes — I come !" 

Mohammed's vices simply betrayed his humanity, and they 
serve to expose the delusion that his mission was prophetic, 
or that his acts were infallible. The rapid propagation and 
stability of his religion are not difficult of explanation. Con- 
ceived, as it was, by man, it prescribed no rigorous conflict 
with the human propensities. Neither did its observance de- 
mand any sacrifice of the customs and necessities of eastern 
life. Further, its creed was easy of comprehension and simple 
in its practice. Again, it appealed to the appetence of the 
warlike orientals by its sanction of conquest and the ensuing 
acquisition of plunder. While its general precepts were thus 
congenial, the vital principle of spiritual intercession — neces- 
sary to satisfy the universal conception of a religion — was 
present in the halo of imaginary inspiration and plausible 
divinity. 

And that it should have replaced the standard of Christ in 
the very strongholds of the cross is due to the idolatrous and 
mistaken idea of Christianity then prevalent. In truth, the 
dawn of a realization of the divine intent and exalted perfec- 
tion of the Saviour's law only commenced with the days of 
"Wickliffe, and Huss, and Luther. Men have since diligently 
searched the scriptures, and the light has become more potent. 
But who can picture the radiance of the noontide which would 
attend an understanding of the gospels as they are written in 
the heart of the Messiah ? Then, indeed, would men rejoice 
in the " good tidings of great joy" which proclaimed unto all 
people the birth of " a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." 
And then would El-Islam and kindred lamps of darkness fade 
before the refulgent orb of Christianity, and the awakened 
universe would marvel at the wondrous meaning of its glow- 
ing legend, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good-will toward men." 



CHAPTER Y. 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 



When Cairo and its surrounding sights have been seen, the 
next movement in the Egyptian tour is the long and important 
voyage up the Nile. This can be done either by steam or by 
sailing boat, according to the taste, time, and means of the 
traveller. The voyage by sails is accomplished in what is 
known as a dahabeeah. This craft is more or less comfortably, 
or even handsomely, fitted up with a cabin, state-rooms, hurri- 
cane-deck, and a forecastle for the crew. They are built of 
sizes to accommodate from two to eight passengers, with the 
necessary servants and crew. The motive power is an enor- 
mous wing-shaped or lateen-sail, with sometimes a second or 
much smaller one at the stern. There are six cataracts on the 
Nile, but few other than explorers go beyond the second. The 
great majority of travellers end the voyage at Assouan, the 
northern boundary of Nubia, which is the site of the First 
Cataract. The voyage in a dahabeeah to the First Cataract 
and return to Cairo requires but little less than two months, 
while to the Second Cataract fully three months are necessary. ~ 
The nature of the cataracts and their passage by a boat will be 
duly described. 

When travellers have decided to employ a dahabeeah, the 
first requisite is to engage a reliable and obliging dragoman, 
who will for a certain price furnish a boat with its entire 
equipment, including food, donkeys, and guides for visiting 
ruins, and all other requisites excepting wines and liquors. 
84 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 85 

When every detail is strictly first-class, the average daily ex- 
pense for each person ranges between six and twelve dollars, 
according to the number chartering the boat. Contracts are 
generally drawn between the two parties, and witnessed by the 
consul of the nation to which the tourist belongs. While on 
the river the dahabeeah flies the flag of its passengers, as well 
as a streamer, and possibly the Egyptian colors. The progress 
of these boats is, of course, dependent upon favorable winds, 
and in case of a long calm a portion of the Arab crew is sent 
ashore to tow. A person having ample time and means, a 
taste for gunning, a contented disposition, and a fondness for 
Egyptian antiquities, will enjoy the prolonged rest and instruc- 
tion offered by the use of a dahabeeah. 

Lately the more numerous class of Nile voyagers are those 
who, for various reasons, select the expeditions mode of ascend- 
ing by steam. This service is under the control of the Khedive, 
whose administration furnishes the steamboats and arranges 
the fares, but the work of advertising the sailings and book- 
ing passengers is at present confided to an agency which by 
no means popularizes the line in the estimation of the best 
elements of the cosmopolitan travelling public. The invari- 
able rates are forty-seven pounds ($235) to the First Cataract 
and return, and eighty pounds ($400) to the Second Cataract 
and back, consuming respectively twenty and thirty-five days. 
The distance by the river from Cairo to the First Cataract is 
five hundred and ninety miles, and to the Second, eight hun- 
dred. Those bound for the Second Cataract are subjected to a 
change of steamboats at Assouan, as nothing heavier than a 
dahabeeah can be drawn over the cataracts. 

During the month of December a steamer is despatched 
every fortnight, but from January to March one leaves weekly. 
The line comprises four boats, each carrying from twenty to forty 
passengers. The smaller number is considered more desirable 
than the larger, on account of greater facility in making the 



86 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

repeated land excursions. While the steamers will in no 
manner compare with the floating palaces on American rivers, 
they are not lacking in moderate comfort nor in the require- 
ments of the service. Four meals are served daily, offering 
an abundant variety, with fair cooking. Each boat is provided 
with a physician, a dragoman to conduct the excursions, and 
an ample retinue of servants. Owing to the frequency of 
shoals and a liability of collision with the small boats of the 
natives, the steamers rarely proceed at night, so that none of 
the scenery is lost through sleep. The advantages of the 
ascent by steam are at once apparent. Its disadvantages are 
the absence of the complete privacy and independence of move- 
ment which the dahabeeah insures. On board the steamer a 
certain programme is announced, and those not prepared for 
the exertion at the stated time must sacrifice the excursion. 
According to the statement of the agent, the Nile steamers are 
run at a considerable annual loss to the Khedive, but they are 
continued as an inducement for those to visit Egypt whose 
time is limited to a few weeks. 

Having proposed to ourselves to accomplish an extended* 
tour before the opening of the Paris Exposition, the ascent of 
the Nile by steam was a necessity. The time named for start- 
ing was three in the afternoon of the 8th of January. At 
that hour all passengers booked for the voyage were on board, 
and the Mehallah cast off promptly amid a babel of native 
voices asking for baksheesh. When having her complement, 
the state-rooms of the Mehallah will accommodate twenty- 
two persons ; but our total number was sixteen, exclusive of 
ladies' maids and private dragomans. A very few hours on 
the river served to exchange greetings, and we were delighted 
to find that all hailed from the two great English-speaking 
countries. 

An important functionary on the steamer was our tall drago- 
man, Mohammed Ali. His English was just sufficiently faulty 



ASCENT OF THE KILE. 87 

and imbued with the Arabic accent to make some of his speeches 
comical, while at the same time his patient explanations were 
easily comprehended. When the boat arrived at a place where 
we were to disembark, it was most amusing to witness Moham- 
med's effort to have each mounted upon a satisfactory donkey 
and to preserve discipline in the ludicrous cavalcade. He was 
moderately acquainted with all the tombs, temples, and other 
sights, while at the same time his authority over the pestering 
natives was autocratic. The captain, officers, and crew of the 
steamer, excepting the pilot, are all of the Khedive's army, 
and detached for this special service. Thus equipped and 
companioned, we commence the story of the Nile. It is true 
that continuous descriptions of tombs, temples, and ancient 
dynasties must prove tedious to many readers, but they are to 
the Xile what the scenery, castles, and vineyards are to the 
Rhine, or what the tropical surroundings are to the Ocklawaha 
of Florida. An endeavor will be made, however, to weave 
into the narrative threads of incidents, Egyptian customs, and 
various religious beliefs, to relieve the sombre-hued monotony 
of the departed greatness of the land of the Pharaohs. 

Leaving Kasr-el-Nil, a suburb of Cairo, the Mehallah 
headed southward, passing the island of Rhoda, and Old 
Cairo on the left, and the great pyramids of Ghizeh on the 
right. Gradually lessening in the distance, the last object in 
the capital to disappear from view was the mosque of Mehe- 
met Ali with its needle-like minarets, in the elevated citadel. 
Extending along the left bank the Mohattam hills bar the 
view of the Eastern Desert, until, at length, the quarries of 
Toora pierce the chain. These quarries are very extensive, 
and give evidence of having been worked as far back as the 
eighteenth dynasty, or from 1700 to 1460 B.C. In many 
places they are marked with hieroglyphics and pictorial illus- 
trations descriptive of the manner in which the ancients cut 
and moved large blocks. A greater part of Cairo was built 



88 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of stone from these quarries, and they still continue to supply 
the extending capital. 

As Toora fades out of sight the pyramids of Sakkarah, 
Abooseer, and Dashoor come in view ahead. Near them 
on the left side of the river is the village of Helwan, the 
seat of a group of hot sulphur springs, now much resorted to 
by both Europeans and natives. About sunset the site of 
ancient Memphis, the modern mud village of Bedreshayn, 
ended the day's voyage. As there are no landings along the 
river, the process of mooring the steamer is a novel one. The 
instant the bow touches the yielding soil, two or three deck 
hands spring ashore with pointed posts, which, with a huge 
mallet, are driven down sufficiently hard to hold the mooring 
lines. The places selected are always where the bank rises 
abruptly to a height above the level of the steamer's deck. 

When close to the solidified mud the layers or yearly de- 
posit from the inundation are distinctly seen. In color this 
deposit is very dark, and its richness is apparent. The accu- 
mulation of this fertilizer takes place in Abyssinia and else- 
where far up the river, whence it is borne down by the swift 
current to be spread over the land of Egypt as a substitute 
for rain. The Nile rises in June ; the red water appears by the 
middle of July ; the maximum flood is reached at the latter 
end of September ; the waters visibly decline by the middle of 
October ; the irrigated land has dried and is sown by the close 
of November ; the crops last through February ; the harvest 
takes place in March, and the river subsides to the lowest point 
in April. Thus though nature, through an absence of wood- 
land, has deprived the country of the regenerating shower, 
she has, through the perfect law of compensation, more than 
atoned for the deficiency. So fertile is the deposit, and so 
bountiful is the gift- of sunlight, that the valley of the Nile 
ripens three crops each year. Farther down the river, in the 
delta, about the land of Goshen, the yield may even be greater. 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 89 

With an inexpensive Christian government at Cairo, the 
squalid poverty and mud villages which fringe the river might 
be replaced by civilization and prosperity. Under the present 
regime, each year the tax-gatherer of the Khedive invades the 
fellah 7 s hovel with an increased demand, and in case of any 
murmur or refusal the whip is applied to accomplish the legal 
robbery. In palliation of this system of bastinading, if such 
is possible, it is alleged that the Egyptians are extremely obsti- 
nate regarding the payment of taxes, and that corporal punish- 
ment is the only effective method of collection. That many 
should be found to resist the demands of the authorities is 
not surprising, as these misgoverned people well know that 
the more readily they comply the greater will be the succeeding 
rate. 

"Within a few minutes after the Mehallah came to rest the 
sun passed below the horizon, rich with glowing hues and gradu- 
ated tints, and bathing the landscape with a halo of wondrous 
beauty. The hurricane-deck was enclosed in a canvas screen 
to check the keen evening breeze, and everywhere throughout 
the steamer lights were hung to make our floating home cheer- 
ful. Previous to retiring, Mohammed announced the pro- 
gramme for the first expedition to Memphis and Sakkarah on 
the following day. According to the dragoman's order, we 
had "ding-dong" at six on the morning of the 9th, to insure 
an early start for the ruins which remain to bear witness to 
the past glory of Memphis. It was just dawn when the pas- 
sengers commenced to appear on deck, enabling all to enjoy 
the loveliness of the Egyptian sunrise at the outset of our 
Nile voyage. Immediately after breakfast the donkeys were 
mounted, and the party filed through the village of Bedre- 
shavn, followed by twenty or thirty shivering natives. A 
sharp northerly breeze was blowing, so that we were chilly 
even in winter clothing, yet the poor Arabs wore nothing 
but their loose gowns of blue muslin. About an hour's ride 



90 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

along a winding embankment, which extends over the lowlands 
watered by the river, brought us to Mitrahenny, the site of 
ancient Memphis. 

Scarcely a vestige of the extinct metropolis is now visible, 
although much beneath the many centuries of yearly deposit is 
yet to be exhumed. To convince the eyes that the crowded 
city once existed it becomes necessary to go beyond Mitrahenny 
to the imposing sepulchres clustered about Sakkarah. There 
massive pyramids, costly mausoleums, and sculptured tombs 
have been brought to light by Mariette Bey to attest the 
departed wealth of the Delta capital. Not to the finite, but 
to nature must we return thanks for the preservation of these 
monuments, the sand of centuries having saved them from 
the inroads of man and the elements. Of the two, man is 
more to be dreaded, as the climate of Egypt is charged 
with little of a destructive nature. Instead of the old tem- 
pies and houses of Memphis being protected, they were taken 
to pieces that the stone might be employed for building pur- 
poses in Cairo, leaving nothing but the stately tombs, which 
are located some distance inland from the river. Even here 
the pyramids have been stripped of their outer layer of pol- 
ished granite, giving them the same appearance as those at 
Ghizeh. 

The early history of Memphis is involved in perplexing 
doubt. Modern writers quote Herodotus as the best authority, 
but even his account of its foundation is from hearsay. The 
Greek historian visited Memphis about 450 B.C., and during a 
lengthy stay informed himself of the people, laws, and religion, 
writing from observation, and what was told him by the priests. 
If the latter are entitled to belief, Memphis was founded by 
Menes, the first authentic king of Egypt. Various authori- 
ties fix the date of this sovereign's reign at 5504, 3643, 2700, 
and 2320 B.C., showing the usual discrepancies, but with proba- 
bility in favor of the first. Herodotus saw Memphis in its 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 91 

most flourishing period, or when it was increasing at the ex- 
pense of declining Thebes. According to his statement, the 
Delta capital measured one hundred and fifty stadia, or six- 
teen miles, in circumference. Among the great buildings were 
the temple of the dwarf god of fire, Phtah ; the hall of the 
bull god, Apis ; the citadel of the White Wall ; and the temple 
of Proteus. During the reign of Augustus (b.c. 30-14), Strabo 
travelled to Memphis, and describes it as a city second in size 
to Alexandria. Later the Arab invasion did it much perma- 
nent injury; and when Fostat, or Old Cairo, was founded, 
Memphis gradually lost its remaining splendor and power. 
Eventually, when the present Cairo was built, the temples and 
houses of Memphis were pulled down to furnish stone. The 
word Memfi, which becomes Memphis in its modern form, 
implies "the place of the good." 

Without considering a few pieces of broken statues, the 
only antiquity near Mitrahenny worthy of attention is the 
granite colossus of Rameses II., which lies upon its face and 
partly concealed in a pool of mud and water. It measures 
more than forty-five feet, and is supposed to be one of two 
which stood in front of the temple of Phtah. Continuing 
inland, we soon exchanged the fertile valley of the Nile for the 
barren desert, on the border of which the great tombs are clus- 
tered. The most prominent of the group is a large pyramid 
built in five degrees, or truncated, and believed to be one of 
the oldest monuments in Egypt. Although the name of its 
builder is yet undetermined, he is thought to have been Oue- 
nephes, the fourth king of the first dynasty. This pyramid is 
the largest of a group of eleven, and, like the others, its con- 
dition is that of ruin. Its present height is one hundred and 
ninety feet, and the sides of the base three hundred and fifty- 
one and three hundred and ninety-four feet, showing it not 
to be a square. This deviation from accurate symmetry may 
be observed in other pyramids along the river. The remain- 



92 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ing pyramidal sepulchres are scarcely of sufficient importance 
to deserve separate mention. The origin of the term pyramid 
is disputed, some authorities supposing it to have been derived 
from the words pi and rama, which, when joined, signify "the 
mountain." Others again adopt the translation of the so-called 
geometrical papyrus in the British Museum, which is said to 
prove the word to be Egyptian, and written per-em-us. With- 
out doubt they are the oldest buildings in existence, and they 
certainly have outlasted the memory of the monarchs who thus 
sought to perpetuate their own glory. 

The next object to be seen at Sakkarah is the Apis Mausoleum, 
or tomb of the sacred bulls. The god Apis, or his representa- 
tive the bull, was one of the chief deities of Memphis, where 
he was worshipped in a special temple and had a college of 
priests in his honor. Upon the death of the bull his carcass 
was mummied and committed to the Mausoleum with great 
solemnity. His successor was selected on account of certain 
marks of divinity, which the crafty priests never failed to 
discover. That portion of the Apis Mausoleum excavated 
through the exertions of Mariette, is a series of immense sub- 
terranean galleries and chambers hewn in the solid rock, each 
of the latter containing a colossal sarcophagus. The size and 
massiveness of these sarcophagi make us wonder how they were 
placed in position. Upon opening them they were found to be 
empty, leading to the supposition that the remains of the bulls 
were removed by the Romans, or other subsequent unbelievers 
in the divinity of Apis. An avenue of sphinxes originally 
marked the approach to the Apis Mausoleum, and superim- 
posed was the Serapeum, or temple, which has almost entirely 
disappeared. Conspicuous among the ruins at Sakkarah is 
the Tomb of Tih, a priest or other distinguished person of 
Memphis. The upper part is nearly gone, but the friendly 
sand has preserved the lower portion. This tomb is exceed- 
ingly instructive, on account of its hieroglyphics and pictorial 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 93 

reliefs, illustrating the amusements, customs, and manners of 
the ancient Egyptians. Scattered over the plateau at Sakkarah 
are numerous other sepulchres of less important sacred animals, 
as well as those of human beings. Within sight of the road 
leading back to the river are the pyramids of Dashoor. 

Early in the afternoon the steamer again continued the 
southerly course, passing through flat and monotonous scenery. 
Before dark we had a view of Haram-el-Kedab, or the false 
pyramid, a relic now fast coming to pieces. The name origi- 
nated with the Arabs, who supposed its base rested on a natural 
rock, but when the sand was cleared away the whole proved 
to be a part of the stone work of the pyramid itself. Although 
the moon was quite bright, at seven the careful pilot halted 
at Benisooef for the night, and the bank was immediately 
thronged with natives anxious to beg or trade for a portion of 
our supply of silver fish scales. Before leaving Cairo travel- 
lers always provide themselves with a quantity of this diminu- 
tive money to be prepared to purchase native articles and 
trifling antiquities, as well as to give baksheesh to donkey boys 
and deserving mendicants. The uninitiated can form no 
conception of the urgent demands made upon strangers for 
baksheesh. It is the first Arabic word heard upon entering 
Egypt, and the last to come to the ear as the departing steamer 
leaves its shores. On the river a score of Arabs will follow a 
single tourist through a village and over miles of ground, 
thrusting themselves forward in every way, and careless of 
lashes from the corbdj. To give to one simply means to 
double the annoyance, and hence the nuisance is one from 
which there is no escape. Many of the half-grown boys and 
girls who thus hung upon the skirts of our party were entirely 
nude, and a number of the adults were but little better 
clothed. Our first adventures on shore with the ladies were 
rendered rather embarrassing by these Eden-like costumes, but 
a few days served to convince all that those who desire to see 



94 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Egypt must accommodate their modesty to the customs of the 
country. It is questionable, however, whether the nudity of 
the poor Egyptians is quite as indelicate as the sights in cer- 
tain cities of Europe. In Naples, for instance, the streets are 
used as boudoirs by slatterns who aid each other in a toilet 
which includes a search for vermin. The immodesty of nature 
cannot be more objectionable than that of degradation. 

Although BenisooeT is the capital of a province, and has a 
population of five thousand, it is one of the usual mud towns 
without particular interest to tourists. The view of the place 
from the steamer is rather picturesque, as the date-palms are 
numerous and arranged in clusters. Travellers to the Fayoom 
and the supposed sites of Crocodilopolis, Lake Moeris, and 
the Labyrinth, generally start from Benisooef. The province 
of Egypt known as the Fayoom is a tract of land in a valley 
between the Libyan hills, which is watered by a canal from 
the Nile, and surrounded by the desert. The site of the 
Mausoleum and national palace, called by Herodotus the 
Labyrinth, has lately been fixed. It stood close by the 
ancient city of Crocodilopolis, or about five miles from the 
present village of Medeeneh. According to Herodotus, the 
Labyrinth was composed of twelve large courts, surrounded 
by three thousand rooms, both above and under ground. The 
subterranean chambers were used as places of sepulchre for the 
priests and the sacred crocodiles, which were worshipped at 
Crocodilopolis. Lake Moeris was an artificial basin, surmised 
to have been excavated by Amenemha III., of the twelfth 
dynasty, and located near the Labyrinth. It was constructed 
to retain an abundant supply of water during the overflow of 
the Nile, but only slight evidences of its former existence now 
remain. 

When we rose on the morning of the 11th the steamer was 
already three hours' sail from Benisooef. If no excursion was 
to be made, 8.30 was the regular hour for breakfast, and but 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 95 

two or three appeared on deck before that time. The first place 
of any interest after leaving Benisooef is Anasieh, or "the 
Mother of the Mounds," a village built upon the site of 
ancient Heracleopolis. Here the crocodile was abhorred, while 
in the neighboring city of Crocodilopolis it was worshipped ; 
and eventually this source of discord produced a war as bitter 
and destructive as is usual in religious issues. One of the 
results of this contest was the destruction of the Labyrinth, 
just described. Proceeding again, w T e passed Bibbeh, which 
contains a Copt, or native Christian convent; and Tehneh, 
noted for its mounds. Farther on the table mountain of 
Gebel Sheykh Embarak rises on the eastern shore, and fol- 
lowing it are the cliffs of Gebel-et-Tavr, or the Gibraltar of 
the Nile. Along the bluff sides of these flat-topped, saffron- 
colored, stony hills, which are of a greater or less height in 
various places on the Nile, is that atmospheric halo of delicate 
blue which excites the admiration of every traveller. This 
exquisite effect is owing to the remarkable dryness and trans- 
parency of the air, a condition which transforms the monoto- 
nous landscapes of Egypt into pictures of glowing beauty. 
Observations with the wet and dry bulb thermometer on board 
the steamer proved differences of from ten to twenty degrees. 
Similar experiments in the atmosphere of London would give 
only about three as an average result. At five in the afternoon 
we arrived at Minieh, a town of some extent, and the capital 
of the province bearing the same name. 

Like the towns of Egypt in general, Minieh is built of mud, 
with the exception of the Khedive's palace and two or three 
other houses. The place is chiefly important as the seat of 
one of the largest and most modern of the sugar-factories on 
the Nile. While the steamer was coaling w T e were conducted 
through the entire establishment, which greatly surprised us 
by its magnitude and the perfection of the machinery. The 
factory, including the improved machines, is the work of 



96 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

French engineers. This establishment is only one of several 
along the river, in which the employes are numbered by thou- 
sands. The sugar trade of Egypt is a lucrative monopoly with 
the Khedive, which he renders extremely profitable by raising 
the required cane in the districts surrounding the factories. 
Much of the poverty of the country results from the fact that 
these vast estates yield no public revenue. After coaling, the 
steamer ran to Beni Hassan before stopping for the night. 
Until our arrival here the evenings were keen enough to 
require an overcoat in addition to the ordinary winter dress, 
which during the day was generally comfortable. 

Eight o'clock on the morning of the 11th found us mounted 
on donkeys crossing the valley of the river to visit the grottos 
of Beni Hassan. These mausoleums or tombs are excavations 
in the solid rock beyond reach of the annual inundation, and 
are supposed to date from the time of the twelfth dynasty, or 
about B.C. 3000. Two of them are more interesting than the 
others, and will alone be mentioned. The first is the tomb of 
Ameni-Amenemha, a general of infantry under King Osirtesen 
I., and governor of the province of Sah ; and the second that 
of Noum-Hotep, also a governor of Sah in the time of Anie- 
nemha II. Both are decorated with an unusual variety of 
colored figures and hieroglyphics, which constitute a pictorial 
biography, and throw much light on the trades, amusements, 
and customs of that age. The stone pillars of the northern 
grottos are worthy of particular notice, because the capitals are 
of a design which seems to indicate the origin of the Doric order. 
These columns are polygons of sixteen sides, about five feet 
in diameter and sixteen in height, and constitute part of the 
solid rock ; that is to say, the rock was cut away and the shafts 
left. Besides those already noted, other columns at Beni Has- 
san represent four branches of the lotos bound together, with 
the flower for the capital. 

Just after leaving Beni Hassan we passed the site of Adrian's 



ASCEXT OF THE NILE. 97 

city of Antinoe. It was named after the emperor's friend 
Antinoiis, who there drowned himself in the Nile in conse- 
quence of the declaration of an oracle that Adrian's happiness 
could be secured only by the sacrifice on the part of Antinoiis 
of that which was dearest to him. A few miles to the south 
again is the village of El-Bersheh, near which, in a grotto 
tomb, is a pictorial carving showing the manner of moving a 
colossal figure on a sledge. Scores of slaves pull by the ropes, 
while one man sprinkles the ground with a lubricator, and 
another beats time with his hands. Steaming by many vil- 
lages, we finally rested at Manfaloot for the night. 

Manfaloot makes some pretensions to size, and has its bazaar 
and a Sunday market. It now stands close to the bank of 
the river, while formerly it was some distance back. This is 
the case with many towns on the western side, and in some 
instances portions have been washed away by the steady en- 
croachment from year to year. After dark two of us deter- 
mined on the doubtful expedition of seeing an Arab village 
by night. Mohammed intimated that the enterprise was 
rather imprudent, but seeing our determination he instructed 
one of the dark-robed spectre Arab police to act as escort. 
The dirty, narrow streets were intensely dark, except where 
the moonlight could penetrate, and during the walk we were 
threatened by a score of the many Arab wolf dogs which 
haunt every town. Approaching the mosque we found one 
street lined on both sides with squatting men who had their 
shoes in a line in front, and many were smoking the chibooh. 
There was barely room to pass between them, but not one 
moved to betray a consciousness of the presence of strangers. 
The cause of the assemblage was the proximity of the favorite 
cafe of the village. Finally, our Arab guardian conducted us 
back to the steamer without harm of any kind. 

On the rocks of Gebel, above Fayda, back from the eastern 
bank of the river, nearly opposite Manfaloot, are the crocodile 



98 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

mummy pits. The interiors of these tombs are filled with an 
immense number of the preserved remains, and the task of 
seeing them is attended with much unpleasantness in the way 
of foul and heated air, as well as fatigue. Between Manfaloot 
and Assioot the Nile makes several sharp bends, and in many 
places the water is shallow. The Mehallah ran aground once, 
but was easily floated by reversing the engine. The current 
of the river is very rapid, thereby limiting the best efforts of 
the steamers to eight miles per hour. The water is always 
muddy, although worse during the inundation than in winter. 
The name "Nile" was given to the river by the Jews of 
Heliopolis, the word signifying "stream." The grander ap- 
pellation of " river" they reserved for the Euphrates, on which 
they lived previous to the rise of Assyrian power. 

At noon on the 12th, Assioot, the capital of the Sseed or 
Upper Egypt, was reached. Assioot has a population of 
twenty-five thousand, and is greatly in advance of all other 
places on the river in appearance. It contains a very interest- 
ing bazaar, where the choicest of the Egyptian pipe-bowls are 
found. The cemetery should be remarked as probably the 
neatest and best arranged in Egypt. Our party ascended the 
Libyan hills in the rear of the city to inspect the burial 
grottos cut in the limestone rocks, and to secure a view which 
extends for miles up and down the valley of the river. We 
here noticed that the days had lengthened perceptibly, as the 
sun had not set when we returned to dinner at six. 

The steamer had taken the stream early on Sunday, the 
13th, and continued until after nine, when we rested for an 
hour to exchange greetings and provisions with the downward- 
bound sister boat Beherah. The communion service of the 
Church of England followed, a London clergyman officiating. 
During the day the villages along the shores were numerous, 
and especially picturesque was Raaineh, with its clusters of 
date-palms and curious pigeon-towers. The dragoman Ma- 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 99 

hommed stated that an Arab is not considered in a position to 
many until he has not only a house, but also a surmounting 
pigeon-tower. The hut with the pigeon-coop, therefore, marks 
the site of what Milton calls the " nuptial bower/' the "joyous 
birds" being included and the " spicy odors" wanting. The 
" happy constellations" shine over the bower every night with- 
out fail, but the Arab character proves that their "selectest 
influence" is not very select. At four the steamer stopped 
to coal at Soohag, the capital of the province of Girgeh. The 
objects to be noted at Soohag are the White Monastery and 
the Red Convent. Both are in reality native Christian 
villages, surrounded by a wall for protection against warlike 
intruders. These structures display much that is curious in 
architecture and decoration, the name in each case being de- 
rived from the predominating color of the latter. They are 
attached to the Greek Church, and recognize St. George as 
their patron saint. The principal ornamentation in the 
churches is of wooden lattice-work, ivory mosaics, and mounted 
ostrich eggs suspended from the ceilings. Having concluded 
to leave the excursion to Abydos for the downward trip, we 
steamed to Bellianeh, and halted merely to rest for the night. 

Farshoot was passed on the morning of the 14th, and at 
noon on that day a stop was made at Keneh to visit the 
temple at Denderah, on the opposite bank. Keneh is cele- 
brated for the manufacture of porous jugs and gargoulets for 
filtering the Nile water. The best Egyptian dates are also 
grown in the surrounding country and sold in Keneh. They 
are packed in drums about nine inches in diameter, which 
preserve them in a soft condition. The town possesses a con- 
siderable number of the ghawdzee, or dancing girls, but a 
description of them will be deferred until we reach Luxor. 
At Keneh for the first time we encountered warm weather. 
During two days the thermometer marked eighty-six degrees in 
the shade, and we were comfortable at night without an overcoat. 



100 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Early on the morning of the 15th a native boat came 
alongside at Keneh and ferried us over to Denderah. Donkevs 
were brought into requisition upon landing to complete the 
half-mile to the temple. There are but few of the Egyptian 
temples in as good a state of preservation as that of Denderah. 
This is accounted for by the fact that it was erected among the 
last, or during the time of the Ptolemies and the Caesars. 
In that epoch Egyptian sculpture was already on the decline, 
as is shown in the stiff figures and the confusion of the hiero- 
glyphics. The columns must be in a great measure exempted 
from this criticism. Although the capitals are overloaded 
with ornamentation, the general effect of these shafts, when 
grouped in the pronaos or portico, is extremely impressive. 
The roof of the temple is entire, which affords an opportunity 
to realize the utter darkness of the interior apartments, to which 
the king alone penetrated to commune with the gods. Like 
the Greeks, the Egyptians dedicated their temples to the wor- 
ship of certain divinities. That of Denderah was to Athor, 
the goddess of love, beauty, truth, and light. While she and 
other divinities are often worshipped under various forms in 
different parts of the country, the same distinctive attributes 
always remain. 

The plan of the Denderah temple is similar to the others, 
and hence an outline of its construction will practically answer 
for all on the Nile. 

The approach to the temple is an isolated stone pylon or 
arch, from which a paved avenue led to the doorway or pydon 
of the walled enclosure which surrounded the temple for de- 
fence. The grove, or sacred enclosure within the walls, is 
known as the temenos, and it generally contained a sacred lake. 
Leading from the pydon towards the temple, next came a 
dromos or paved avenue bordered by sphinxes, which termi- 
nated with two obelisks before the grand pylon or gateway of 
the pronaos or portico. This portico consists of twenty-four 



ASCENT OF THE NILE. 101 

great columns arranged in rows, and decorated with figures 
and hieroglyphics. The capitals of these columns are each 
ornamented with four human heads, having the Egyptian head- 
dress. In other temples the capitals are taken from the date- 
palm, the dom-palm, the papyrus in the bud, the full-blown 
papyrus, the vine, and the lotos. On the ceiling of the portico 
of Denderah is one of the three colored zodiacs found in 
Egypt. Succeeding the portico is a smaller hall of six col- 
umns, with three rooms on each side. Then comes a chamber 
which contains the staircase leading to the roof; and, lastly, 
after one more room, we have the adytum or sanctuary, with 
its surrounding passage. All the space in the rear of the por- 
tico, and encompassing the sanctuary, is called the naos. With 
these outlines must be pictured massive unity, a profusion of 
intaglio figures, and surfaces everywhere carved with hiero- 
glyphics. The name of a king or prince of the blood, when 
written in hieroglyphics, is enclosed in a round-cornered rec- 
tangle, called a cartouche. 

Until 1799 the world was unable to decipher the Egyptian 
hieroglyphics, but in that year the mysterious veil was with- 
drawn by the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. That trilingual 
tablet was found, as its title indicates, at Rosetta, a town near 
one of the mouths of the Nile, forty-five miles east of Alex- 
andria. It bears a priestly decree in honor of one of the Ptole- 
mies, inscribed in hieroglyphic, Greek, and demotic or encho- 
rial characters. Thus, by a comparison of the Greek with 
the hieroglyphic, the language of ancient Egypt was un- 
folded. Unfortunately for the sake of uniformity, the vowels 
are usually omitted in the hieroglyphics, and hence translators 
supply them as conjecture or judgment suggests. As Egyp- 
tologists are prone to disagree, the result is often a variety of 
forms for the same word. This confusion is especially con- 
spicuous in the names of kings; as, for instance, Osirtesen, 
Sesortesen, Usertasen, Ousertesen, or Osortasen. 



102 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Near the great temple at Denderah is a much smaller 
one surrounded by a peristyle of twenty-two columns, and 
adorned with carvings illustrating the birth of the child of 
the goddess Athor. These minor temples, which are not un- 
common, have been named the Mammeisi, or " lying-in-places" 
for the accouchement of the female divinity of the triad wor- 
shipped by the particular locality. The remains of an un- 
important hypsethral temple also stand in the same vicinity, to 
which we gave a passing look, and then returned to the steamer. 
It was just night when the Mehallah moored at Luxor for our 
work among the stupendous ruins which tell the story of the 
once majestic grandeur of Thebes. 



CHAPTER VI 

UPPER EGYPT. 

Luxor is one of the usual Nile villages, but it is important 
as the central point from which to visit the ruins of Thebes. 
A number of dahabeeahs are always to be found there, and 
the steamers remain three full days. Several governments are 
represented at Luxor by native honorary consuls, and among 
them our own. The consul of the United States, Ali Effendi, 
is the wealthiest man in Luxor, and, like Mustapha Agha, 
the British representative, delights to entertain those of his 
constituency who may come up the river. Quickly after the 
arrival of the Mehallah, Ali Effendi learned of the presence 
of four Americans and sent his dragoman to bid us welcome. 
During the three days the stars and stripes floated from the 
consulate in our honor. The afternoon succeeding our arrival 
we called upon him, and were received with hearty Arab hos- 
pitality. His many servants bowed low and hastened to offer 
black coffee and the long chibook. Sitting cross-legged upon 
the divans, we engaged in conversation. He speaks English 
only to a moderate extent, but still sufficiently well to be un- 
derstood. Before leaving he presented us with a handful of 
scarabsei and other antiquities from the old tombs. We also 
bore an invitation to the Mehallah's passengers to attend a 
fantasia of the ghawdzee or dancing girls, at his house on the 
following evening. Upon rising to go he accompanied us half- 
way back to the boat, and then bade adieu by touching his 
heart, mouth, and head in the Arabic style. When we reached 

103 



104 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the steamer our fellow-passengers announced that we were 
invited to a fantasia at the house of the British consul that 
night. The English flag had stolen a social march upon the 
stars and stripes. 

Within the last two seasons a small hotel has been opened 
at Luxor, the only one on the Nile, and so successful has it 
proved that additions to it have already been made. The 
climate of the town is probably the best on the river, but it 
was the opinion of our sixteen passengers that Egypt is not 
the country to recommend for invalids. The chilly east winds 
which sweep the Nile nearly the whole winter are not particu- 
larly felt during the day, but the moment the sun sinks below 
the horizon the change in temperature is sudden and piercing. 
Colds are, as a result, frequent among both travellers and na- 
tives. Again, the extreme dryness of the atmosphere and the 
prevalence of dust or sand-storms is injurious to those suffer- 
ing from chronic diseases of the mucous membranes. While 
on the river it is common to see sand-spouts on the deserts back 
of the table hills. A great volume of sand is thus carried 
perpendicularly to a considerable height, and then scattered by 
conflicting currents of wind. After every excursion we made 
it was necessary to undergo a thorough brushing and ablution 
on account of the dust. 

In connection with these statements, it is but fair to remark 
that the unusually low Nile had aggravated the dust nuisance 
during the season under consideration. Had the soil been thor- 
oughly watered, the thousands of acres which were parched 
and implanted would have been covered with green crops. In 
cases of drouth the fellaheen make shift to moisten a portion of 
the ground by the sakiyah and the shadoof. The former is 
the endless chain of jars worked by a buffalo, and the latter con- 
sists of a simple pole and bucket upon two uprights and oper- 
ated by hand. The general use of steam pumps is impracticable 
on account of the absence of native fuel as well as the heavy 



UPPER EGYPT. 105 

expense of imported coal. Daring Mohammed Ali's reign, in 
1847, the important engineering venture known as the Barrage 
of the Nile was projected by Linant Bey, a Frenchman, in the 
interests of agriculture. The idea was that of a dam to raise 
the level of the river during the dry season without obstruct- 
ing navigation. Although the undertaking was continued at 
times by the Viceroy Abbas, it was finally abandoned by Said, 
the predecessor of the present ruler, after a total expenditure 
of fifteen million dollars. The structure is of the nature of a 
turreted bridge of arches extending across the Rosetta and Da- 
mietta branches of the Nile in the Delta. In the first division, 
the length is fifteen hundred and twenty-five feet, comprising 
sixty-one arches and two locks, and in the second seventeen 
hundred and eighty-seven feet. The original intention was that 
each arch should be furnished with an iron sluice-gate, which 
might be lowered to dam the waters. It was expected that an 
additional depth of fifteen feet could thus be obtained, which 
would effectually irrigate a large area; but in the uncompleted 
state of the Barrage the benefit has been limited to a rise of 
five feet. 

Thebes, or its imposing remains, is four hundred and fifty 
miles from Cairo, and one hundred and forty north of the First 
Cataract. The early history of the city is involved in the 
same obscurity as that of Memphis. We are told that after 
the fall of This or Abydos, Thebes became the capital of Upper 
Egypt, but of the seven hundred years which followed our 
knowledge is limited to a list of its kings. The cause of its 
fall cannot be explained, although it was probably the result 
of civil wars. This conjecture is founded upon the state- 
ment of Manetho, that the Thebans insisted strictly upon 
lines drawn by caste, giving undue privileges to the upper 
classes, while the less fortunate in society were degraded almost 
to the estate of slaves. A social fabric so organized must nat- 
urally engender revolution, and in the conflict proud Thebes 



106 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

met its downfall. In the days of its greatest prosperity, under 
Sethi I. and Rameses II., Thebes extended on both sides 
of the river. Its exact boundaries are unknown, but Diodo- 
rus conveys an impression of its vast area by stating that it 
had one hundred gates. Whatever may have been its popu- 
lation, the magnitude of the ruins which astonish the traveller 
is convincing evidence of its splendor. That our narrative 
may not exceed its bounds, the story of the sights of Thebes 
must be limited to a slender and unsatisfactory outline which 
will permit little more than a mere enumeration. All in 
architecture that is grand in conception, wonderful in execu- 
tion, and amazing in massiveness, will be found scattered upon 
the site of dead Thebes. 

Early on the morning of the 16th we took the sandal, or 
small boat of the steamer, as a ferry to the western shore. Here 
donkeys were in waiting, and the plain was soon crossed. The 
first ruin we visited was the temple of Koorneh, — dedicated 
to Amun, the Theban Jupiter, — which was begun by Sethi 
I. and finished by his son, Rameses II. The plan of this 
temple, — now in a fair state of preservation, — differs from the 
one heretofore detailed, but not sufficiently to demand a special 
description. Thence passing through a desert valley, and after- 
ward a rocky gorge, we came to the Tombs of the Kings. 
The monarchs whose remains were deposited in this vicinity 
belong to the XVIII, XIX, and XX dynasties. These tombs, 
cut in the solid rock, are entered by descending inclined planes 
which extend to the halls or chambers where the sarcophagi 
were placed. The interior of each is more or less deco- 
rated with the usual pictorial sculpture and hieroglyphics. 
Seventeen of the sepulchres have already been discovered, and 
more are likely to be uncovered in the work of excavation. 
The most interesting of the group are No. 2, the mausoleum of 
Rameses IV., and No. 17, that of Sethi I., which is commonly, 
called Belzoni's Tomb on account of its discoverer. The 



UPPER EGYPT. 107 

entire vicinity is a vast catacomb, including the burial grottos 
of priests and of private persons. 

After lunching among these empty houses of the dead, we 
climbed the rugged path to the top of the Libyan Mountains, 
and there had a superb view of the plain of Thebes. De- 
scending upon the other side we next halted at the temple 
called Dayr-el-Bahree, or Northern Convent. Like many 
other Egyptian temples this one served as a convent for the 
early Christians, whence its name. It is now a complete ruin, 
showing but little of special interest, excepting a wall covered 
with warlike scenes. Next w r e crossed the plain to the Mein- 
nonium, or Ranieseum, one of the finest of the ruins of Egypt. 
It is completely unroofed, and many of the columns have fallen 
or been defaced by Cambyses ; but its grandeur still remains. 
Prominent among the columns are the Osiride pillars, or those 
faced with a colossal figure of Osiris, the son of Amun-Ra, 
and judge of the dead. The Memnonium was the work of 
Rameses II., or the Great, and throughout the temple his con- 
quests are glorified in pictorial carvings. Broken and thrown 
prone upon the ground near this temple are the pieces of a 
Syenite granite statue of Rarneses, which was of a magnitude 
to dwarf all others in Egypt. When complete it is estimated 
to have weighed nearly nine hundred tons. The Memnonium 
concluded our day's work, and we returned to the steamer. 

An early start was likewise made on the morning of the 
17th, and again we crossed in the sandal to Thebes. Riding 
directly across the plain, we dismounted at the two enormous 
statues known throughout the world as the Colossi of Thebes. 
They are both in a sitting posture, and represent King Amun- 
oph III. It is probable that they once adorned the entrance 
to a temple now destroyed. AVhen in their original condition 
both colossi were monoliths of gritstone mixed with chalced- 
onies, but one has been repaired with a number of separate 
blocks. Each is fifty feet in height without the pedestal. 



108 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The one to the north is the sacred statue, or Vocal Memnon, 
so called because the ancients believed it uttered joyous 
musical sounds at sunrise every morning. Passing through 
the Memnonium once more, we next visited the small temple 
erected by Ptolemy Philopator, called Dayr-el-Medeeneh, and 
consecrated to Athor, the Egyptian Venus. 

The sight of the day, and the most stupendous of all the ruins 
on the western shore, was reserved for the last, — the temples 
of Medinet Abou. Although these ruins are divided into the 
small and the great temple, the two are joined, and to the ordi- 
nary observer appear to form one great structure. No attempt 
will be made to enter into the detail of the dimensions and deco- 
rations of all the various courts, porticos, and sanctuaries ; but 
in whichever direction we wandered magnificent columns and 
broad halls met the view. The great court of the main 
temple is a marvel of architectural grandeur, and should be 
distinguished by a few words of description. It measures one 
hundred and twenty-three by one hundred and thirty-three 
feet, and the height from the pavement to the cornice is thirty- 
nine feet. Surrounding it is an interior peristyle, each of two 
sides of which is supported by a row of eight immense Osiride 
pillars, while the remaining sides are adorned with five massive 
columns with papyrus capitals. Again, between this peristyle 
and the wall is an imposing corridor of columns, all elabo- 
rately decorated. The dimensions of these great pillars aver- 
age twenty-three feet in circumference and twenty- four feet in 
height. In the centre of this court are the remains of a 
colonnade erected by the early Christians, which suffers so 
much by comparison that it might be removed without causing 
regret. The architraves of the court are inscribed to the 
glory of Eameses, and the walls are richly carved with scenes 
in the life of " the King of Kings." One picture represents 
his coronation, a second his investment by the gods, and in a 
third he makes offerings and burns incense to propitiate the 



UPPER EGYPT. 109 

divinities. In a second court the king is represented as a giant 
in a battle-car, with his pigmy enemies flying before the furi- 
ous charge. Medinet Abou also has the only known represen- 
tation of a naval engagement. The Egyptians are attacking 
a hostile squadron with a fleet of galleys, and as only the vic- 
torious party delineates a battle, the enemies of the Nile are 
suffering defeat. Then follow the triumphal procession, the 
distribution of rewards for valor, and the presentation of heaps 
of the enemy's heads to the king. Medinet Abou was built' 
by Rameses III., the last of the warrior kings of Egypt, who 
reigned about B.C. 1275. The title Medinet Abou is a corrup- 
tion of the Arabic Medina Tabou, which signifies " the city of 
Thebes." 

The last day at Luxor was devoted to the temples of Karnak 
and Luxor. The remains of the latter are seen only in detached 
portions amid the mud houses of the town. In fact, the name 
Luxor, or El Koosoor, in Arabic, means " the Palaces," derived 
from the presence of the temples. Its construction was com- 
menced by Amunoph III., and finished by Rameses II., the 
Sesostris of the Greeks. The most impressive remnant of this 
once grand edifice is a covered portico of thirty-two gigantic 
columns, in the midst of which is the British consul's residence. 
Some distance from these the pylon still remains, fronted by a 
single obelisk. The mate to this shaft was taken to Paris, 
and stands on the Place de la Concorde. It is there known as 
the Obelisk of Luxor. 

Karnak, the last of the Theban temples to be noted, and 
the greatest in Egypt, lies about twenty minutes' ride from 
Luxor. The foundation of this vast aggregation of ruins 
was commenced by Osirtesen I. somewhere about 3060 B.C. 
Subsequent sovereigns added to its area until, by the additions 
of Sethi I. and his son Rameses II., it became the grandest 
temple in Egypt. Even after it had assumed the first place, 
succeeding Pharaohs, as well as the Ptolemies, continued to 



HO OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

extend its walls. The immense area covered by this temple, 
together with its outward pylons and avenues of sphinxes, 
renders it impossible, in its present badly ruined condition, to 
give accurate outlines. To convey an idea of its vastness it 
is only necessary to mention that one of its several pylons is 
three hundred and seventy feet wide ; one dromos of colossal 
criosphinxes, two hundred feet in length ; one court, two hun- 
dred and seventy-five feet by three hundred and twenty-nine; 
and that its pillars are numbered by hundreds. A view of the 
whole from an elevation presents the appearance of a ruined 
city. The most striking of all the architectural wonders of 
this temple is the renowned Hall of Columns, started by Sethi 
I. and completed by the valiant Amunmai Kameses II. This 
hall consists of one hundred and thirty-four stupendous col- 
umns, twelve of which are sixty-six feet in height and the 
others forty. The larger columns have capitals representing 
the full-blown papyrus, while the smaller ones are of the 
unopened bud of the same. The dimensions of the hall are 
one hundred and seventy feet by three hundred and twenty- 
nine, all of which space is ornamented with carvings. 

Eminently the finest of all the Egyptian obelisks is found 
among the ruins of Karnak. The shaft in question, and its 
mate, stood within a court having an Osiride peristyle, and 
located east of the Hall of Columns. Cambyses, the Persian, 
or other destroyers have utterly ruined two-thirds of the length 
of one edge of the monument, commencing near the base. 
The mate, which was of equal dimensions, was thrown down 
and broken in several places. Portions are still scattered in 
the vicinity, including the upper part. These two obelisks 
were set up by Queen Hatasou, the brilliant daughter of 
Thothmes I. She was regent through the entire reign of 
Thothmes II., and again, for fifteen years, during the minority 
of Thothmes III. According to the uncertain chronology, the 
date of the erection of these shafts is probably about B.C. 1650. 



UPPER EGYPT. HI 

The hieroglyphic inscriptions are in the usual verbose, fulsome 
style, and glorify Thothmes I. and the queen herself. The 
announcement is also made that the entire period occupied in 
the work was only seven months. The height of the stand- 
ing obelisk is variously stated, but Mariette now gives ninety- 
seven feet six inches, instead of one hundred and eight feet ten 
inches, which he previously published. Allowing the trans- 
ported obelisk of St. Jean de Lateran at Rome to be one hun- 
dred and five feet six inches in its present reduced state, that 
of Queen Hatasou is the second in altitude among all now in 
existence. Excepting where the annual rise of the Nile and 
the hand of the human destroyer have effaced the sculptures 
and marred the edge, the hieroglyphics, the sharp angles, and 
the rich polish are almost in their pristine perfection. 

On the way back to the steamer we planned a moonlight 
visit to Karnak, and executed it the same night. The Wizard 
of the North may sing of the beauties of fair Melrose, and 
Childe Harold's lyre may chant the glory of the Coliseum, 
but for soul-stirring enthusiasm let the poet wander by moon- 
light among the stupendous ruins of great Karnak. 

The invitations so kindly extended by the American and 
English consuls to witness performances of the dancing girls 
were duly accepted by the passengers. As one was a duplicate 
of the other, a single description will suffice. A lantern-bearer 
accompanied us from the steamer to the house and ushered 
us into the presence of our host. Coffee and chibooks were 
at once served, and a few moments passed in conversation. 
All being prepared, we were then taken into a long, narrow 
room, where the girls were grouped upon the floor at one end. 
Near them were the native musicians, with the darabooka, or 
drum, and an instrument between a lute and a violin, which 
was played like the latter. The performance opened with a 
song, which was chiefly remarkable for its entire absence of 
music. The dancing was then commenced by two of the girls, 



112 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

who were arrayed in long dresses and wore a jingling silver 
ornament in front of the waist. In each hand they carried a 
pair of diminutive cymbals, one fastened by a string to the 
thumb, and one to the great finger. The figures of the dance 
consisted mainly in walking past each other with the sounding 
cymbals elevated, and then to stop vis-a-vis to execute a wrig- 
gle of the hips, which was at once graceless and indelicate. 
The same or similar figures were danced by the succeeding 
couples. The affair concluded with a solo, in which the girl 
bore on her head a champagne bottle filled with water and 
corked with a lighted candle. During the dance she executed 
a variety of movements and even rolled upon the floor, but 
still the bottle retained its upright position. After attending 
the fantasia, it was evident that the dancing girl of the Wile 
had not been seen in the genuine manner. To remedy the 
defect our gentlemen — like those of every other boat — had 
another fantasia. The result is easily told. " Many travellers 
have raved about the beauty of these ghawdzee, and the grace- 
fulness of their dance; but the truth is that nine-tenths of 
them are ugly and repulsive, and their dance inelegant when 
kept within the bounds of decency, and disgusting when 
allowed full swing." 

When we awoke on the morning of the 19th, the Mehallah 
was once more ploughing up the stream against the swift cur- 
rent. Several unimportant villages were passed before Esneh 
was reached, at eleven in the morning. The attraction there 
is the temple of Esneh, situated in the middle of the town. 
Only the pronaos, or portico, has been excavated, but even that 
is well worth a visit. It has twenty-four immense columns, 
arranged in four rows, each pillar measuring nineteen feet in 
circumference and sixty-five feet in height. The capitals are 
exceedingly beautiful, and scarcely two are alike. Among the 
variety are imitations of the date-palm, dom-palm, full-blown 
papyrus, papyrus in the bud, lotos, and vine. The temple was 



UPPER EGYPT. 113 

consecrated to Kneph, the spirit, who is represented with a 
human form and a ram's head. In Nubia and the country 
south of Thebes, Kneph ranked as the leading deity, the same 
as Amun-Ra, the sun, at the capital. As the main part of the 
temple is almost completely buried, the date of its construc- 
tion is involved in doubt, but it is attributed to the Ptolemies. 
The portico now exposed was added during the reign of 
Claudius, a.d. 41-54. On the ceiling is the third of the trio 
of zodiacs found in Egyptian temples, making the complete 
list Denderah, Esneh, and the Memnonium. 

At noon we were again under way, and in succession passed 
the villages which mark the sites of Hieraconpolis, or the city 
of the Hawks, and Eileithyia, or the city of Lucina. At 
the latter there are small temples and tombs of different dynas- 
ties. At four in the afternoon we arrived at Edfoo, the seat 
of the temple of Apollinopolis Magna, where the night was 
spent. The morning of the 20th was occupied in making the 
excursion to the temple. Until 1864 the magnificent edifice 
was buried almost to the roof, and even now it is entirely sur- 
rounded by huge heaps of rubbish and dirt. This temple is 
not only one of the largest in Egypt, but also the best pre- 
served; so much so as to be practically uninjured in all its 
parts. In design it follows the temple at Denderah, an out- 
line of which has already been given. The Edfoo temple was 
founded by Ptolemy Philopator I., about B.C. 220, although 
it was not completed until three or four reigns later. It was 
dedicated to the worship of Hor-Hat, or the hawk, and in one 
corner of the adytum is a colossal monolithic granite cage in 
which the sacred bird was kept. 

At noon the boat left Edfoo, but stopped again, at three, at 
Silsilis. At this point there are more burial grottos, princi- 
pally of the time of the eighteenth and nineteenth Pharaonic 
dynasties. On the opposite shore are the great quarries from 
which much of the stone was taken to build the temples of 



114 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Karnak, Medinet Abou, Luxor, and others. A run of an 
hour after leaving Silsilis brought us to Kom-Ombo, the seat 
of ancient Ombos. The ruins of a once splendid double 
temple here stand upon the edge of the high bank overhang- 
ing the river. Already most of the pylons have fallen, leaving 
little but the portico and sanctuary remaining; and even they 
are partly buried in the sand. The peculiarity of the temple 
of Ombos is its double design and double dedication. One 
portion is dedicated to light, under the form of the hawk- 
headed Horus-Ra, or Aroeris, and the other to darkness, under 
the crocodile-headed deity Savak. This temple was built by 
the Ptolemies, and the dedications were carved upon the por- 
ticos in Greek. If the Nile long continues its late rate of 
encroachment, the remaining parts of the temple will soon be 
precipitated into the stream. Although it was nearly dark 
when we were again on board, the moon enabled the steamer 
to continue safely until nine o'clock, when a mooring was 
effected. 

Long before we thought of waking on the morning of the 
21st the steamer left her moorings of the previous night, and 
was breasting the current on the last stretch previous to 
arriving at Assouan, the boundary of Upper Egypt. While 
the careful pilot is threading his way among the sand-banks 
and rocks which mark the approach to Assouan, let us examine 
briefly the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt. 

The foundation of the faith was the Deity, whose entity was 
in the abstract as the Creator, or Divine Power, but whose 
attributes were supposed to be represented on earth in tangible 
forms. This gave rise to the existence of the various deities, 
as well as to their embodiment in sculpture. Centuries of 
belief in these gods gradually separated them from the original 
unity, and they became independent or individual in their 
identity. Originally, also, the graven figure was viewed as 
vicarious only, but eventually the image itself was invested 



UPPER EGYPT. 115 

with the importance of the deity it personated. Different 
nomes or provinces sometimes accepted the same god with 
different names and powers; but again, throughout the 
country, certain leading divinities were identical in their 
agency if not in the form of representation. The belief was 
universal that the government of the world was divided 
between a god of good and a god of evil. The god of good 
was believed to be threefold, as three is a perfect number, and 
must therefore represent everything divine. These triads are 
found everywhere, as, for instance, at Thebes we find Amun- 
Ra, the sun, the chief god ; Maut, the mother ; and Chonso, 
their son, the deity of the moon. Also Osiris, the early king, 
who was slain and afterward arose to judge the dead; Isis, — 
his sister, wife, and mother by turns, — the queen of heaven ; 
and Horus, their son, who avenged his father's death, and 
wears the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The 
god of evil, or the principle of sin, was represented by the 
hippopotamus-shaped deity Typhon, who slew his brother 
Osiris, and was in turn slain by Horus. 

Decidedly the most interesting feature of the Egyptian reli- 
gious fabric is the character of the universal god Osiris, who 
came to earth to benefit mankind ; his death, resurrection, and 
investment with the power to judge the dead. Everywhere he 
was worshipped far more than any other deity, and his propi- 
tiation was of paramount importance to the Egyptian mind. 
The belief in a future state is apparent in scores of pictorial 
carvings, and explained in the "Book of the Dead." This 
work was written on leaves of the papyrus, and illustrated 
what the soul undergoes between leaving the body and reach- 
ing the heavenly sphere. The most complete remaining copy 
of the " Book of the Dead" is now in the Turin Museum. 
In fact, so great was the attention given to the building of 
tombs that it would appear as if the sole thought of the Egyp- 
tians was to prepare themselves for the ordeal of the day of 



116 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

judgment. A scene representing the trial of the dead is carved 
on the sarcophagus of Sethi I. Osiris sits on his throne with 
the great scales before him, and mounting the steps are a group 
of men. Beneath him are several laboring with edged tools, 
as if condemned to everlasting work, seemingly a resemblance 
of the conventional idea of hell. In addition to the cardinal 
beliefs already stated, the Egyptians worshipped many minor 
divinities and sacred animals. The faith in these, however, 
was not general, and in some instances they conflicted, as seen 
in the crocodile war between Heracleopolis and Crocodilopolis. 
The priests who ministered in the temples of Egypt were 
learned men, and ranked next to royalty in the social scale. 

The similarity between certain vital doctrines of the Egyp- 
tian religion and those of Christianity, is thus seen to be rather 
carious, and the fact does not escape the skilful manipulation 
of the enemies of the Faith. 

The view on approaching Assouan is one of the finest on 
the river. The Nile thereabout is dotted with black rocks, 
requiring the steamer to keep well in the channel close to the 
island of Elephantine. At ten in the morning the Mehallah 
reached her berth abreast of the town, and the upward voyage 
was completed. Assouan is the frontier town between Egypt 
and Nubia, and is situated in latitude 24° 5' 25", — not far 
north of the Tropic of Cancer. At this point we were able, 
by rising at four in the morning, to see the Southern Cross. 
It is composed of four stars of medium magnitude, arranged 
like a diamond, excepting that the upper star is a trifle 
out of place. The bazaar of Assouan is a lively mart, and 
many trifling curiosities can be had. Among the articles 
pressed upon the traveller by the anxious tradesmen are bows 
and arrows, ebony clubs, leather pouches, earthenware, native 
trinkets of silver, pretty wicker baskets, female Nubian dresses, 
and ostrich feathers. How the latter should find their way 
to Assouan is rather a mystery, as no ostriches are to be found 



UPPER EGYPT. 117 

within hundreds of miles. The modern town is built upon 
the site of ancient Syene, whence came the elegant granite for 
the obelisks which the world still admires. The quarries are 
a few minutes' ride inland from the town. There, undetached 
from the solid rock, is an embryo obelisk, which, had it been 
completed, would have measured more than ninety-five feet. 
Just after the steamer moored we visited the island of Ele- 
phantine, which lies opposite to Assouan. At the upper end 
of the island are the remains of the Nilometer erected in the 
reign of Augustus, about the commencement of the Christian 
era. Formerly there was a building, but now nothing remains 
except a flight of stone steps extending down to the river. On 
the wall of this stairway is a graduated scale to measure the 
height of the water during the annual overflow. The ruins 
of a pylon are seen some distance inland, but the remainder of 
the temple was carried away to build a palace. 

The 21st was devoted to the main sights in the vicinity of 
Assouan. Riding southward in the rear of the rocks of sye- 
nite, granite, and porphyry, which here fringe the eastern 
shore in fantastic groups, we emerged above the First Cataract 
opposite the island of Philae, in Nubia. With the first glimpse 
of the river our hearts sank within us, for there lay the steam- 
boat Nile, which, within a few hours, would carry away several 
of our friends to the Second Cataract. Two weeks of the 
closest intimacy had ripened more than one permanent friend- 
ship, and now the sorrow of parting was at hand. We boarded 
the steamer, and the entire party crossed in the sandal to the 
island of Philse. The united party were there to inspect the 
temples, lunch under the shadow of the pylon, and then — 
farewell ! 

Upon landing on Phila? the first object to attract the atten- 
tion is the beautiful little hypaethral temple consecrated to 
Athor, the Egyptian Venus, but often called Pharaoh's Bed. 
Although this temple is small, it is superbly massive, and its 



118 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

position, directly upon the bank, makes it conspicuous. In 
design it is a simple rectangle, with four columns facing on 
each of two sides, and five upon the remaining two. It was 
constructed during the reign of Ptolemy Euergetes II. and 
his sister, Queen Cleopatra, B.C. 146-117, and by them dedi- 
cated to the goddess Athor. The most important structure on 
the island is the temple of Isis, commenced in the time of 
Ptolemy Philadelphus, B.C. 285-247, though not completed 
until some reigns later. The design of this relic is some- 
what irregular, but its great size and magnificent colonnade 
render it grand in the extreme. The great colonnade starts 
directly at the river bank on the south of the island, — where it 
was probably originally fronted by two obelisks, — and extends 
upwards of two hundred feet to the propylon of the temple. 
A propylon is a pylon, or gateway, with towers. The orna- 
mental capitals of these columns are not as simple as those of 
more ancient temples. In addition to the usual full-blown 
papyrus and papyrus in the bud, we found the flowers of 
several sizes, including half-opened buds, leaves of the same 
plants, and palm branches. The propylon is sixty feet in 
height, and about one hundred and twenty-five feet in width. 
From its top the view is very beautiful. After passing the 
propylon there is a grand peristyle court, containing a small 
chapel. Within this chapel is a copy of the renowned Eosetta 
Stone ; but it bears only the hieroglyphic and demotic texts 
without the Greek. The pronaos, adytum, and naos are all 
massive, and in many places the colors on their carvings are in 
a remarkable state of preservation. On a terrace, which is 
reached by a staircase, is a group of sculpture illustrating the 
death and resurrection of Osiris. This temple was inhabited 
by priests, who lived like monks in the numerous cells. Their 
lives were passed in worshipping the triad of the section, — 
Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The island of Philse was one of the 
three places in which Osiris was said to be buried ; and, being 






UPPER EGYPT. 119 

regarded as sacred ground, none but priests were allowed to 
tread its soil. Near the great temple just described is a small 
chapel to Esculapius, dedicated in Greek by Ptolemy Epiph- 
anes. Another small chapel to Athor is in the same neighbor- 
hood. On the island of Biggeh, opposite Philse, are the remains 
of an unimportant Ptolemaic temple, consecrated to Athor. 

"When the above sights were finished and the lunch eaten, 
Mohammed gave us to understand that the moment of parting 
had arrived. With many regrets the adieus were said, and 
our little party took a native dahabeeah to visit the First 
Cataract. The cataracts of the Nile are not what we under- 
stand by the word ; they are nothing more than rapids, resem- 
bling those of the river St. Lawrence. Great masses of rocks 
and small islands obstruct and divide the course of the river 
and form the rapids. While the descent is distinctly percept- 
ible, it is so limited that it becomes possible for boats to sail 
up when the river is high during the inundation. In winter, 
when travellers' dahabeeahs must pass, the ascent of the cata- 
ract is a tedious and laborious undertaking. Fully a hundred 
men are required for the work, which occupies two or three 
days, and costs from fifty to seventy-five dollars. We witnessed 
the ascent of the dahabeeah of an English friend, and observed 
that the men drew the craft only a short distance before a rest 
was necessary. The descent of the cataract is accomplished in 
an hour. The boat is steadied by oars as well as by the rudder, 
and the regular channel has a descent of about seven feet in 
a length of two hundred. Although many dahabeeahs pass 
up and down each year, it is rather remarkable that accidents 
seldom occur. 

As soon as our party reached an eminence overlooking the 
main rapids, a half-dozen nude Nubians paddled out from 
above on logs, and being drawn into the current, they were 
carried down with startling rapidity. When close to the lower 
end they again skilfully applied their hands as paddles, and 



120 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

landed on our side. Each man shouldered his log and ran to 
us for baksheesh, regardless of the presence of the ladies of 
the party. The native boat then ferried us to the main land, 
where the donkeys were already in waiting. Returning along 
the rocky banks of the river we passed through three Nubian 
villages, which were chiefly distinguished by dirt and summery 
costumes. The entire dress of a Nubian girl is a kilt of buffalo 
leather cut into slender strips and decorated with beads and 
small shells. These complete costumes are sold at Assouan, 
under the name of " Madame Nubias." By four we were 
again on board, but the Mehallah no longer seemed like home. 
A score of strangers stood on her decks to replace our old 
friends, but the change was by no means appreciated. The 
new people were the downward-bound Second Cataract pass- 
engers. The delay in the exchange of luggage by camels 
compelled the captain to abandon his design of commencing 
the return voyage that afternoon. 

All day on the 23d we steamed northward, now greatly 
aided by the swift current. About noon we took in tow a 
dahabeeah, which had on board a Leeds gentleman, very ill of 
pleurisy. Sickness on a dahabeeah is a serious matter, there 
being no doctor, as on board the steamer. The labor of 
humanity and profit (£30) delayed us two hours, but still at 
nightfall we reached Luxor. Instantly we noticed that the 
American consul's house was illuminated, and abreast of it in 
the river lay the Khedive's private steamer " Illumination of 
the Two Rivers." We were not long in comprehending the 
situation, — General Grant ! The United States Consul-Gen- 
eral came on board, and announced that the distinguished 
traveller would receive us after the ghawdzee fantasia to be 
given by the Luxor consul, Ali Effendi. At nine we 
boarded the presidential steamer. General and Mrs. Grant 
were sitting aft on the enclosed deck, and received us cordially. 
The inevitable tiny cups of black coffee were served, and con- 



UPPER EGYPT. 121 

versation followed. The General wore a tarboosh, or Turkish 
fez, and looked sunburnt. He was enjoying the Nile voyage 
with evident zest, and anticipated equal novelty and instruc- 
tion from his approaching visit to the Holy Land. 

The voyage on the 24th developed nothing of interest, and 
continued until five, when a halt was made at Bellianeh, to 
visit the ruins of Abydos, or This. The morning of the 25th 
was given to this concluding excursion. The ruins are six 
miles from the river, which implies a donkey ride of two 
hours. Abydos, or This, once ranked next to Thebes in popu- 
lation and extent. It owed its importance to the fact that the 
Necropolis contained the remains of Osiris. Thus it was to 
the Egyptians what Medina is to the Mohammedans, and the 
Holy Sepulchre to the Christians. Rich men from all parts 
of Egypt journeyed to Abydos, or were desirous of being 
buried there. The principal ruins now remaining on the site 
of the extinct city are the temple of Sethi I., called by the 
Greeks the Memnonium ; the temple of Rameses II. ; and the 
Necropolis. Both of the temples were dedicated to Osiris, and 
magnificence was not wanting in either. The design of the 
temple of Sethi I. is irregular, and differs from all others. It 
has two large halls or porticos, one with two, and the other 
with three rows of columns. From the latter seven passages 
lead into the same number of vaulted chambers. The roofs 
of these chambers are of large blocks of stone extending 
between the architraves, and hollowed out to resemble an arch. 
The sculptures and hieroglyphics in these cells are unusually 
well cut, and the coloring on them is wonderfully preserved. 
The feature of this temple is in a narrow ascending passage- 
way leading from the larger of the halls or columns. Here 
the walls are covered with lines of cartouches, to which Sethi 
I. and his son Rarneses II. are offering homage. The names 
upon the seventy- six cartouches are those of the kings of 
Egypt, beginning with Menes and ending with Sethi's own 



122 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

name. This is the celebrated new Tablet of Abydos. Of this 
long list fifty-seven have no place in history other than the 
bare name, as no monuments exist to mark their reigns. On 
the opposite wall of the passage the king and his son are con- 
templating another table bearing the names of one hundred 
and thirty divinities. 

The temple of Rameses II. is almost level with the ground. 
When in its glory it was of the grandest character. The walls 
of the interior were lined with oriental alabaster, and richly 
decorated with colored sculptures. The original renowned 
Tablet of Abydos was found in this temple early in the present 
century. It bore the names of all the ancestors of Rameses, 
but unfortunately a portion of the list was destroyed. This 
valuable relic is now in the British Museum at London, along 
with scores of the most precious Egyptian treasures. English 
Egyptologists are much condemned by all, including their own 
countrymen, for the vandal-like manner in which they have 
stripped Egypt of its monumental wealth. The same can be 
said of English antiquaries in Greece. A crude brick enclo- 
sure marks the Necropolis of Abydos. The interior is a great 
catacomb, the tombs of successive ages being placed one upon 
the other. Near the centre is an unusually large mound com- 
posed of the sepulchres buried in an accumulation of dirt. 
M. Mariette is now engaged in uncovering this group, and 
hopes to be rewarded by finding at the base the tomb of Osiris. 
A road extends from Abydos to the Great Oasis, as it did two 
thousand years ago. 

The poorly-fed donkeys were tried to the utmost to carry us 
back to the steamer, and scores of the half-blind, sore-eyed 
Arabs kept pace during the entire two hours' ride. A traveller 
in Egypt is surprised at the amount of ophthalmia and sight- 
less eyes seen among the natives. Want of cleanliness is the 
cause of the epidemic, but the dead eyes proceed from the 
most shocking causes. Through some inhuman superstition 



UPPER EGYPT. 123 

an Egyptian mother never has her child's eyes washed until 
eight days after birth, by which time the organ is frequently 
ruined. Again, it is said that formerly the men destroyed one 
eye to escape military service, but happily the Khedive has 
lately decided that such a physical defect shall no longer be 
sufficient cause for exemption. Miss Whately, of the British 
Mission Schools of Cairo, remarked that a mother considers it 
an insult to be told that her child's eves need washing. The 
crusade of the teachers to save the children's sight is a most 
difficult one, as are many of the other self-inflicted tasks. At 
one in the afternoon the steamer was again under way, and the 
night was passed at Soohag. 

The next day, the 26th, we steamed but seventy miles to 
Assioot to await the mail by railroad, and to exchange provi- 
sions with the now southward-bound Beherah. On the 27th we 
accomplished one hundred and sixty miles, and spent the night 
at Feshun. "When we started on the 28th ninety-two miles 
remained to reach Cairo, and soon after lunch our attentive 
cabin-boy, Yoosef (Joseph), came to announce that the Citadel 
Mosque of the capital was in view, which promised that 
another hour would complete the voyage. 

We landed convinced that three weeks can be employed 
nowhere more profitably than on the Nile. A month's travel 
in the country must satisfy the most careless observer that 
Egypt is the mother of us all. What Greece learned and 
Rome acquired ; what modern Europe has adopted and Amer- 
ica followed : what proves there is nothing new under the 
sun, can all be found in Egypt. All hail, then, land of the 
Pharaohs ! If your past was great, your future may be 
greater. The elements for prosperity still exist; the leader- 
ship alone is wanting. May it be, then, that in the near future 
a dynasty of modern Pharaohs, with modern minds, may be 
born to replace the present degraded race, and again elevate 
the land of the Xile to its rightful plane of greatness. 



CHAPTEE VII. 

THE NILE IN NUBIA.* 

On January 22 we bade farewell, with many regrets, to our 
fellow-passengers of the Mehallah steamer, then about to make 
its return voyage to Cairo. Our party was equally divided. 
Eight of us were going on to the Second Cataract by the 
steamer Nile, moored opposite to the beautiful island of Philse. 
The other eight bad before them six days of idle floating down 
the river, possibly spent in endeavoring to digest mentally the 
overwhelming mass of Egyptology which had been accumu- 
lating in our poor brains since we left Cairo. 

Save for regrets at losing our quondam friends, we were 
better off in the Nile than we were in the Mehallah. In the 
first place, we were only eight people in a steamer built to 
accommodate twenty-five ; then the boat itself is quieter and 
cleaner ; the cook a decided improvement upon the last ; and 
the attendance more satisfactory in every way. 

These particulars are mentioned to encourage future travel- 
lers between the First and Second Cataracts, as we were all 
warned to expect far less comfort than we had before experi- 

* The letters comprising the voyage between the First and Second 
Cataracts, contained in this chapter, appeared in conjunction with the 
preceding narrative. They were contributed by the writer's fellow- 
voyageur and accomplished friend, Miss E. Katharine Bates, the authoress 
of the popular English novel " Egyptian Bonds." A reprint of her work 
has been published by Messrs. J. B. Lippincott & Co., under the title of 
"Nile Days; or, Egyptian Bonds." 
124 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 125 

enced, — rather a gloomy prospect. It may be well here to 
correct a strange error into which every writer upon Egypt 
seems to fall when discussing the great question of Steamboat 
vs. Dahabeeah. It is the error of asserting that the dahabeeah 
is the more expensive mode of travelling. Even the greatest 
enemies to the steamboat all agree in admitting this one point : 
that to voyage by steamer is the cheaper way of travelling. It 
may be so in cases where one or two persons take a very luxu- 
rious dahabeeah and an extremely expensive dragoman ; but 
in ordinary cases, where five or six people make one party, 
every necessary and comfort can be obtained at the rate of 
from five to five and a half dollars a day per head. Thus, 
such a trip to the Second Cataract and back, embracing a 
period of ninety days, can be made for five hundred dollars. 

By steamer the charge to the Second Cataract and back to 
Cairo is four hundred dollars; but, then, it must be remem- 
bered that only thirty-five days are consumed in the latter trip, 
as against the ninety days spent on board the dahabeeah, during 
which board and lodging are provided. It is well that this 
matter should be cleared up, for the many books furnishing 
information for the Egyptian tour lead travellers to expect a 
saving of money, as well as of time, by choosing the steamer. 
The two great advantages of the steamer are these : First, to 
escape the uncertainty and often monotony of a three-months' 
voyage by dahabeeah, especially when there is no keen sports- 
man of the party; secondly, to avoid the great risk of joining 
comparative strangers in so long and close a companionship, 
in cases where travellers have not been able to make up a party 
of four or five tried and intimate friends before leaving home. 
On the steamer few causes of dispute can arise, for all is ordered 
beforehand, and every one is bound to submit. Moreover, 
there is constant change of scene and thought. 

In a dahabeeah contrarv winds or an aggravating sand-bank 
may detain travellers for five or six days, perhaps even a week 



126 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of enforced idleness and inevitable dulness, except to those 
who have unlimited resources within themselves. In a daha- 
beeah party, made up of comparative strangers, there must be 
all the restraints, all the necessity for mutual forbearance that 
would exist in a family, without the ties and associations that 
would render such restraints bearable and such forbearance 
possible. Having endeavored to state fairly the u pros" and 
" cons" of this much-vexed question, " revenons a nos moutons." 

As the steamer cannot pass the cataract, passengers must 
ride across the desert to the point opposite the island of Philse, 
where the Second Cataract steamer is moored. The baggage 
is conveyed from one steamer to the other, a distance of some 
six miles, by camels. These sturdy animals can carry from 
six to seven hundredweight of baggage, but some of them 
make the most plaintive cries while they are being loaded, and 
we watched one clever animal which, after making a most 
dismal noise, calmly refused to move until one or two boxes 
had been taken off his back. 

The delay in the transit of our luggage was so great that 
we were forced to remain stationary for the night, getting up 
steam again early on the morning of Wednesday, January 23. 
Our first stoppage was made about 9 a.m. to visit the temple 
of Dabod. Most of the Nubian temples and ruins are close 
to the river side, or within a ten minutes' walk, — a fortunate 
matter for travellers in a land where apparently no donkeys 
are to be had. The Dabod temple was founded by an Ethi- 
opian King, Atar Amun, and dedicated to the Egyptian triad, 
Osiris, Isis, and their son Horns. Three pylons, or entrances 
— placed behind one another at a distance of about thirty yards 
between each — lead up to the ruined remains of the temple. 
In the adytum, or inner sanctuary, one finds two fragments of 
granite monoliths in the shape of sarcophagi, and there are 
several surrounding chambers, but no sculptures of special 
interest, and our investigations were soon over. In under- 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 127 

taking the further journey to the Second Cataract we were 
quite aware that among the Nubian ruins we should find 
nothing to compare, for either interest or grandeur, with the 
wonders we had already seen below the First Cataract, with 
the one exception of the great temple of Aboo Simbel. 

The scenery in Nubia is, however, decidedly more beautiful 
and more varied than in Upper Egypt, and we were assured 
that the grand ruins of Aboo Simbel would alone repay us 
deeply for the extra journey they entail. 

About fifteen miles south of Dabod we reached Gertassi, 
where a few columns alone remain of the temple once existing 
there. The capitals of these columns are most beautifully and 
gracefully carved in the form of lotos and palm leaves. After 
a rocky ten minutes' scramble over granite stones to the south 
of these pillars we came upon a very curious sandstone quarry 
of great extent. In one side of it is carved a doorway, with 
the royal arms (a rising sun) over it, and on each side a niche 
with a small, half-defaced bust of evident Eoman workman- 
ship. The walls are adorned by at least fifty Greek ex votis, 
— inscriptions of the time of Antoninus Pius and Septimius 
Severus, in honor of the goddess Isis. It is strange to trace 
in all the later monuments of Egypt, from the Grecian and 
Eoman occupations (beginning about 330 B.C.), how the con- 
quering nation in each case adopted, or at least countenanced, 
the religion of the vanquished country, and added to the sculp- 
tures and adornments of the temples in honor of the presiding 
local deities. This is notably the case in the temples of Den- 
derah and Edfoo. 

It may not be out of place to say a few words here on the 
subject of the early Egyptian worship. The confusion in- 
duced in one's brain by the number of Egyptian deities ; their 
different attributes and even individualities being constantly 
merged into one another ; and the fact that several different 
triads of gods Avere worshipped in different localities : all this 



128 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

makes the study of Egyptian theology a most confusing and 
disheartening task to the amateur. At Thebes the triads of 
gods represented by Amun-Ra (the sun), Maut (or the mother), 
and Khons (the son), were worshipped. Even here we are 
confronted by mysteries as great as those contained in our 
much-abused Athanasian Creed. "Amun is father to him- 
self. He is the generating spirit from the very commence- 
ment — the twofold being at once father and mother, and ex- 
isting from all eternity.' 7 One cannot fail to be struck by the 
similarity between this and the creed enjoined by our own 
church on the subject of the Trinity. 

Then, again, in regard to the triad more universally wor- 
shipped in Egypt in those days — Osiris, Isis, his consort, and 
Horns, their son. Osiris was the great creative spirit of good- 
ness and truth and light ; the eternal antagonist of evil and 
darkness and falsehood. He is overcome and put to death 
by his brother Typhon, the genius of evil. He rises again 
and becomes the judge of the dead over the forty-two nomes 
or provinces of Egypt. Here again one cannot fail to trace 
some dim foreshadowing of our own faith in one perfect Essence 
of truth and light and beneficence, who should die through 
the temporary victory of evil, but rise again in glory to be 
our Judge. Osiris, in his character of judge, is always de- 
picted w 7 ith a crook and a flageolum ; the crook to draw to 
himself those who were to be rewarded, the flageolum to 
chastise the unworthy. 

Mariette Bey, in his very valuable little work, " L'Itine>aire 
de la Haute Egypte," quotes Jamblichus — a writer of the third 
century — in favor of the idea that the Egyptians worshipped 
in truth but " one God, unique, universal, uncreate, the author 
of his ow r n being, having no beginning, and existing from 
eternity." Jamblichus considered that the inferior gods were 
merely personifications of the Supreme Being, and that mo- 
notheism was the foundation of the Egyptian religion. But 



TEE NILE IN NUBIA. 129 

then again in the temples themselves one finds no trace of this 
one Supreme God spoken of by Jambliehus — all the deities 
seem to have been clothed with the attributes of the Eternal — 
all were immortal — all were uncreated. "The theology of 
the Egyptians," says Eusebius, in his " Evangelical Prepara- 
tion," " acknowledged that the universe is God, composed of 
several divinities, which constitute his different parts." Mon- 
sieur Mariette sums up his own conclusions on the point in 
these words : " What we may gather from the temples is that 
with the Egyptians the universe itself was God, and that pan- 
theism formed the basis of their religion." 

As the straits of Kalabsheh are approached, the whole char- 
acter of the river changes. An appearance of rapids reminds 
one of the First Cataract as seen from Philse; granite rocks 
greet the eye on every side ; the river narrows to a width not 
greater than one hundred and twenty yards, and the whole 
scene presents a pleasing contrast to the uniform regularity of 
the low sand-banks that we had passed. The next halt was 
at the village of Kalabsheh, the site of what was once 
the largest temple in Nubia. The interior now presents one 
mass of ruins. It is of Roman origin, and was probably built 
during the reign of Augustus. The massive propylon remains 
intact, as also some small chambers surrounding the adytum, 
but the area of the temple is a chaos of enormous stones 
lying about in hopeless confusion, as though some giants had 
been at play there. This, of course, renders the investigation 
of the temple a wearisome and difficult task. In one small 
chamber the sculptures, although coarse in themselves, were 
interesting from the brightness of their coloring. This is due 
to the fact that most of the Nubian temples have been used by 
the early Christians, or Copts, and they in malicious fanaticism 
covered up the sculptures and paintings with plaster, thus 
unintentionally preserving them for future generations. 

A few minutes' walk from Kalabsheh stands the small, but 



130 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

very interesting, temple of Bayt-el-Wally, excavated in the 
rock. This little temple consists only of the area in front, 
then a hall supported by short columns of very ancient style, and, 
lastly, the inner chamber or adytum. In all three the sculp- 
tures are of the time of Rameses II., B.C. 1400-1339. They 
are extremely interesting and display great power and delicacy 
of execution ; presenting in this a striking contrast to the 
debased work of the Roman era in Egypt. It is as well here 
to remind the reader that a temple in Egypt was not what we 
understand by the word, — a place for general worship, — but 
was built by the king as a special tribute to the god, or triad 
of gods, he worshipped and wished thus to propitiate. Fre- 
quently after some great victory over a neighboring tribe a 
temple would be built by the king as a monument of thanks- 
giving to the gods to whom such victories were invariably 
ascribed. The king and the priests alone were permitted to 
enter these temples, and we have no reason to suppose that the 
people were allowed to take any active part in the religious 
celebrations and observances connected with the Egyptian 
worship. 

The sculptures frequently perpetuate the different scenes in- 
cidental to a victorious war. Thus, in the Bayt-el-Wally tem- 
ple, the area is covered with bass-reliefs representing the king 
— Rameses II. — receiving tribute from the Gush or Ethiopian 
tribe that he had just conquered. The Prince of Cush and 
the vanquished Ethiopians are seen bringing their various offer- 
ings of skins, plants, fruits, leopards, lions, etc., as tribute to 
the conqueror. There is also a wonderfully spirited sculpture 
of Rameses II. mounted on his car, urging the horses at full 
speed, and discharging his arrows amidst the discomfited enemy. 
On the opposite wall are similar bass-reliefs of a war waged 
against another tribe — the Shori. The same idea runs through- 
out. Sometimes Rameses is seen in single combat with some 
warrior chief at his feet — the king's arm raised in the very 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 131 

act of dispatching him. Then the inner hall and adytum are 
covered with glorifications of the gods through whose aid these 
victories have been won. All here represent the king making 
offerings of all that he has received to Amun-Ra, the great 
god of Egypt. Returning to the boat we picked some of the 
henna so much used throughout Egypt for coloring the hands 
and nails of the people. It is a small bushy tree with tiny 
green leaves and a small flowery seed, very sweet to the smell. 
The leaves are pounded to extract the much-prized dye, and 
exported in great quantities to Upper Egypt. 

The scenery, after leaving Kalabsheh, became monotonous 
agaiu, exhibiting less of the cataract nature that we noticed 
lower down the river. The steamer stopped again to allow us 
to visit the curious temple of Gerf Hossayn. This would 
have been a hot, sandy walk of half an hour, but the fatigue 
was lessened by our going in the boat of the steamer until 
just below the rocky ascent to the temple. Gerf Hossayn is 
entirely excavated in the sandstone rock with the exception of 
the portico in front, consisting of a few uninteresting pillars 
only remarkable for the Osiride figures carved upon them. 
These figures are on a massive scale, and hold the crook and 
flageolum, the emblems of Osiris. Inside the hall are two 
rows of colossal Osirides, which give a weird, barbaric effect to 
this gloomy cavern temple. The sculptures are rude and coarse, 
but imposing from their immense size, and from the fact that 
the whole has been carved directly from the surrounding rock. 
Each side of the hall contains two niches, with three figures in 
each niche. These are believed to represent Ra, the sun, sup- 
ported by Athor and Anouke, the respective goddesses of beauty 
and purity. The temple itself is dedicated to Phtah, the 
god of light and truth. It is curious to contrast the crude, 
semi-barbaric sculptures of this cavern temple with the highly 
finished and in many cases artistic bass-reliefs to be found in 
the temple of Bayt-el-Wally — both being attributed to Ram- 



132 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

eses the Great. Shortly after our twelve o'clock breakfast 
we arrived at Dakkeb, an Ethiopian temple, built during the 
time of Ergamus, the cotemporary of Ptolemy Philadelphus, 
who reigned B.C. 285-247. Several of the Egyptian Ptole- 
mies have in turn added to the sculpture of this temple. Er- 
gamus is remarkable as having been the first king who had 
the courage and good sense to withstand the tyranny of priest- 
craft, which, before his reign, had reached such a pitch that 
the priests could even condemn the kings to death on the plea 
that they had offended the gods, and no one had hitherto dared 
to question such preposterous decrees. This Ergamus defied 
their orders. He withdrew to a fortress where a temple of the 
Ethiopians stood, and, having slain all the priests, boldly made 
his own institutions. Dakkeh, like most of the Egyptian tem- 
ples, consists of the propylon, or outer gateway, separated from 
the main building; the pronaos, which would correspond with 
our idea of a hall ; through that another chamber, called the 
naos, and then the adytum or sanctuary, in which were kept 
the sacred emblems of the divinity. These were contained in 
the sacred bark, which was only removed from its resting- 
place to be borne aloft by the king and priests during the religi- 
ous processions celebrated from time to time in their temples. 
On returning to the steamer great excitement prevailed on 
hearing that our first crocodile was to be seen, calmly reposing 
on a sand-bank. We all rushed on deck to inspect this vara 
avis ; for nowadays, since the frequent incursions of steamers 
and dahabeeahs on the JSTile, crocodiles are becoming every 
month more rare, and migrate so far south that Mariette Bey 
prophesies that they will soon be unknown, except through 
tradition, to the ordinary Nile traveller. Our crocodile was a 
small specimen, — about fifteen feet long, — and lay at a distance 
of perhaps one hundred and fifty yards from the steamer. 
The vessel halted for a few minutes to give one of our friends 
the chance of a shot at him, which, although very straight, was 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 133 

mi successful, for the crocodile moved off at that very moment, 
bowed up his back and slipped into the water again with the 
most provoking nonchalance. The sand in this part of the 
Nubian desert is perfectly beautiful, — a bright, golden yellow, 
and extremely fine. The margins of the river, too, are far 
greener and more cultivated than below Assouan. The narrow 
belt of soil between the river and the desert is fertilized to 
the utmost extent with rice and a sort of bean that grows 
freely here, bearing a pretty lilac flower. The trees also be- 
came more numerous as we went farther south, and groves of 
palm and cassia fringed the river on both sides. The climate, 
however, was not so genial as we expected it would be in 
Xubia, and fur cloaks and Ulsters were the order of the day 
except during the few hours of midday heat. 

The sunsets were gorgeous and beautiful beyond all power 
of word-painting. The softness of the atmosphere and conse- 
quent delicacy of the exquisite tints, — palest rose, faint yellow, 
and shimmering green, merging almost imperceptibly into the 
deepest violet and crimson and orange, until all in turn lost 
themselves in a perfect flood of gorgeous gold ! What painter 
could do justice to that marvellous sunset hour in which we 
revelled daily ? No wonder, then, that mere cold words should 
fail in such a task. 

The beauty of Egyptian scenery is emphatically a beauty 
of coloring, not of outline. Putting aside the romantic, lotos- 
eating ideal of Nile scenery, all honest people must surely 
admit that a great deal of the river is extremely monotonous. 
The same low lines of hills, varied now and then by a mud 
village ; the same rows of palm-trees bordering the desert ; a 
solitary camel here and there; the endless sakiyahs by the 
river side* — all these constitute an almost unvaried Egyptian 



* The sakiyah of Xubia replaces the shadoof of Upper Egypt. A 
cutting is made in the river-bank, where a large wheel is turned round 



134 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

landscape. Seen in the bright, glaring light of an Egyptian 
midday sun, these objects are apt to become monotonous* 
But when the dim tints of dawning day first creep over the 
" Egyptian darkness/' lighting up the gloomy, mysterious sky 
with soft, sweet touches of color, increasing more and more 
" unto the perfect day ;" or at the sunset hour which we have 
described, then the Nile is beautiful beyond all praise. Every 
palm-tree, with its soft or gorgeous background, becomes a 
picture by itself. Every bit of old brick wall is glorified — 
even the unlovely Nubians themselves become picturesque. 
No wonder the Egyptians worshipped the sun ! In Dakkeh 
we saw the first bona fide Nubian costumes since leaving As- 
souan, where they were sold freely in the bazaar to the howagi, 
or travellers. The dress is indeed of the very simplest de- 
scription. It consists merely of a very thick fringe of leather 
or string, generally black or brown, and about twelve inches 
in length, worn round the waist, and ornamented by shells and 
colored beads. This forms their only covering, and by no 
means an unbecoming one ; for the Nubians, like the Egyp- 
tians, are, as a rule, well made, with slender, well-shaped limbs. 
The boat started at four in the morning of January 25, 
and soon after the early breakfast we reached Wady Sa- 
booah, or the Valley of the Lions. This temple is almost 
entirely enveloped in the golden sand of the desert. Like 
most of the Nubian remains we have yet seen, it is of the 
time of Rameses II., but with the exception of a rude pylon 
of sandstone and a few sunken columns within, little of in- 
terest remains. Leading up to the pylon are two statues, with 



by oxen or bullocks. Around the wheel is a circular rope chain, to which 
are fastened numerous earthen vessels to be lowered into the river. These 
are drawn up full of water, and as the wheel revolves are of course turned 
upside-down at the top, and so the contents are emptied into a large 
trough running underneath them, by means of which an artificial irriga- 
tion of the land is produced to supply the place of rain. 









THE NILE IN NUBIA. 135 

sculptured stelce, or tablets, at their backs, containing car- 
touches of Rameses II., and on either side of the avenue 
are remains of a row of lion sphinxes, which give to this 
temple its present name. 

The view here is very beautiful ; shadowy palms and fresh 
balmy air; the long low line of sandstone and granite hills in 
the distance, and under one's feet the true "golden sands" of 
the missionary hymns of one's childhood. In the afternoon 
of the same day we arrived at a place called Korosko, where 
we moored for the night. Several of us climbed one of the 
highest peaks there, a rocky sandstone hill covered with vol- 
canic remains, to obtain a very fine view of the surrounding 
country. Below us lay the river, on the farther side the low 
granite hills covered here and there with golden sand that 
glowed and glistened under the rays of the setting sun. 
Beneath us on the Korosko side, the desert road to Khartoum, 
and immediately at our feet yawned an enormous basin of 
sandstone and granite, looking like the remains of an extinct 
volcanic crater. Unfortunately, we had a less brilliant sunset 
than usual — so often the result of climbing a mountain to look 
at it. Sunsets, like Love, are apt to 

" Laugh and fly when pressed and bidden." 

Still, no Egyptian sky could be otherwise than lovely at that 
hour, and we came down well pleased with our expedition. 

The plan of our journey was here changed, owing to the 
unfortunate illness of one of the ladies of the party. The 
visit to Aboo Simbel w r as deferred, and instead we pressed for- 
ward with all haste to Angoosh, near Wady Halfah, where a 
German doctor and pharmacy are to be found. Having left 
Korosko in the early morning of January 26, we reached 
Angoosh by 11 a.m. on the 27th. The projected railway to 
Khartoum commences at this place, but only thirty miles have 
been completed. Having seen the doctor, and procured some 



136 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

necessary medicines, we steamed on to Wady Halfah, and 
moored there. Not knowing what further change in our pro- 
gramme might be necessary, we determined to ensure seeing 
the Second Cataract, which is at a distance of some miles from 
Wady Halfah. About one o'clock in the afternoon, therefore, 
we crossed in a small boat to the opposite shore, where donkeys 
were in readiness, and taking the dragoman with us, began the 
six miles' ride through the desert, under a scorching sun. 
Some camels going to Khartoum were in front of us, plod- 
ding their weary way through the endless sand ; but the road 
presented little else of interest, and the sun was so overpowering 
that life for the next two hours became a question of simple 
endurance. At length we reached the spot where the so-called 
cataract begins. This word strikes a stranger as a singular 
misnomer. There is no fall of water at all. For some five or 
six miles the river presents the appearance of a bit of Scotch 
moor under water. It is true there are tiny islands and boulders 
of granite and sand cutting up the river into numberless little 
channels and eddies of water, but as these patches of rock are 
all covered with short, bushy trees, the appearance from above 
is very much as above described ; and the long, low line of 
purple hills in the distance carries out the idea. One climbs 
a small rock called Aboo Seor to get the best view of the cat- 
aract ; and sitting down afterwards at the base we could fully 
appreciate the delights of the " shadow of a great rock in a 
weary land." There is a pretty pinkish violet stone found 
here in great quantities, which has all the appearance of a vol- 
canic formation, and which crumbles in like manner to the 
touch. Riding home in the cool of the evening the sun was 
setting at one's back, throwing glorious gleams of purple light 
on the golden sands around, lighting up the cold granite rocks 
with glowing reds and deep yellows, making Fairy Land of 
that which three hours before had been an almost unbearable 
expanse of glaring desert. 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 137 

Oar next day we would fain forget if that were possible. 
It seems like a fearful nightmare of painful agitation; the 
hopeless spectacle of sufferings no human skill could alleviate, 
and then the calm, cold hand of death stretched over us in that 
far-off land, and we knew that the end had come. The lady 
died about three o'clock on the afternoon of January 29. 
By this time we had returned to Angoosh, where there is a 
neat little white house belonging to the civil engineer of the 
railroad and his wife. The body was taken on shore at once 
and placed in an upper room, lighted by a few candles, and 
there we all stood round, listening; to the touching; words of 
our burial service, read by an English clergyman who was a 
fellow-traveller. As the poor lady's son was naturally anxious 
to remove the body to England, it had to be embalmed at An- 
goosh, a lengthy and very costly process. With many deep 
regrets and much hearty sympathy, therefore, we were forced 
to leave our poor friend with the two doctors and the chief 
engineer, a very kindly and pleasant Englishman, who had 
been superintending the railway works for many months. 

We left Wady Halfah in the early morning of January 
30, and reached Aboo Simbel once more about 10 a.m. The 
temple of Aboo Simbel is one of the most imposing of Egyptian 
monuments. It is cut out of the sandstone rock immediately 
above the river, and the four splendid colossal statues guarding 
the entrance strike one with an overwhelming sense of gran- 
deur and simplicity. The statues represent Rameses II. One 
has, unfortunately, lost the head, but the other three remain 
intact, and the expression of these gigantic faces is a marvel 
of beauty and sweetness. Their total height is about sixty-six 
feet. We will spare our readers the infliction of a detailed ac- 
count of the size of each finger-joint ! Detail seems swallowed 
up in the face of such overpowering grandeur. Two rows of 
hieroglyphics run along the top of the entrance to the great 
temple, and above them again, a row of monkeys carved in 

10 



138 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

stone. On either side of the chief entrance are two beautiful 
bass-reliefs, which are seldom described. They each represent 
two kings (of whom probably one is Rameses II.) tying up 
bunches of the lotos flower. Inside, the large hall is divided 
into three naves by two rows of enormous square pillars, 
covered by hieroglyphics and supporting the roof. Each pil- 
lar is faced by an Osiride figure, cut in alto rilievo, bearing the 
usual crook and flageolum. One could never tire of watching 
the expression of these faces — an expression of perfect peace and 
inexhaustible benevolence. In truth, they seemed to be a sculp- 
tured type of the peace "which passeth all understanding." 
All round this great hall are sculptured bass-reliefs of Rameses 
II. cutting off the heads of his victims, or of the Theban 
triad receiving offerings at the king's hands. Two very large 
bass-reliefs on opposite walls represent the ark containing the 
sacred emblems borne aloft, as was customary, during times of 
war. Then comes the naos, or inner hall, containing also 
square pillars, but no Osiride figures. Here are more sculp- 
tures of the gods receiving gifts and sacrifice from Rameses. 
One especially beautiful bass-relief represents Pasht (with the 
cat's head), and horns on each side, and Rameses in their 
midst. From the large hall several small chambers are built 
out, full of interesting sculptures. In one of these we specially 
remarked an unfinished bass-relief; part of the subject had been 
cut out ; the rest was accurately marked out in black paint but 
not cut. Many of the sculptures in these side chambers are 
picked out with black paint, sometimes placed next to lines 
of brown and yellow — thus, for instance, the eyes, ear-rings, 
bracelets, or necklets would be painted in bands of black or 
black and dark brown. Stone benches run round the entire 
length of these small rooms, perhaps intended for the reception 
of the mummies in old times. After the inner hall, or naos, 
comes a transverse chamber, also decorated with sculptures, and 
lastly the adytum, or sanctuary. At the upper end of this is 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 139 

a niche containing four sitting figures carved out of stone. 
These are Rameses II., and on either side the Theban triad. 
An altar of stone still remains in the middle of the adytum 
where the sacrifices must formerly have been placed. 

The entire roof of the pronaos is covered by paintings of 
winged searabsei, the colors of which are still quite bright. A 
little to the left of the Great Temple is an interesting little 
temple cut out of the rock, consisting of a single room orna- 
mented with bass-reliefs and hieroglyphics, all of which are 
colored and in a wonderful state of preservation. This little 
gem was only discovered in February, 1874. 

Across a sort of sand glacier (if one may be guilty of the 
" bull"), and to the right of the Great Temple as you face it, 
stands the smaller temple of Athor. There are six niches cut 
in the rock, alternated by slabs of hieroglyphics ; in each side 
a standing figure of the king or one of the deities worshipped 
here. Inside the temple is a large hall, with three square 
pillars on each side. Bass-relief figures of Athor are sculptured 
upon each of these pillars in front, but they are not remark- 
able for any beauty of either form or expression. This is, 
however, fully atoned for by the very lovely bass-relief sculp- 
tures representing Athor, with which the walls are adorned. 
Amun-Ra and Anubis (the keeper of the dead) are also found 
here, and the triad of the Cataracts, viz. : Kneph, Sate, and 
Anouke\ There are two very spirited sculptures on either side 
of the entrance hall, representing Rameses with uplifted arm, 
about to strike a cluster of victims bound together at his feet. 
The transverse chamber is filled with bass-reliefs of Amun-Ra, 
Athor, and the king. At the upper end of the adytum is a 
beautifully covered head of the sacred cow, the emblem of 
Athor. In this temple should be specially noticed a large bass- 
relief, representing Rameses crowned by Horus and Typhon, 
— symbolizing good and evil. It is curious as showing that 
in the old times evil did not necessarily represent wickedness, 



140 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

but was worshipped by the Egyptians in the same manner as 
their type of good. Apop, under the form of a serpent, was 
the symbol of sin, whereas evil as Typhon or Seth received 
equal adoration with good, as symbolized by Osiris or Horus. 
It was later — probably about the twenty-second dynasty — that 
Typhon became synonymous with sin and wickedness as well 
as evil. In the above bass-relief, therefore, Horus and Seth 
are represented pouring conjointly the emblems of life and 
power over Rameses, to show that good and evil affected the 
world equally. 

After many false alarms we actually did see the Southern 
Cross at long last. It is a very beautiful and bright constel- 
lation of four stars, representing a very perfect and unmis- 
takable cross, and can only be seen vertical in the heavens at 
about 4 a.m. in these latitudes. We left Aboo Simbel at six 
in the morning of January 31, and steamed past Thrum to 
Derr, the capital of Nubia. Between these two places the 
vegetation becomes much more plentiful. Every palm-tree 
in Egypt is taxed, and in some parts their consequent scarcity 
is very remarkable, but in the neighborhood of Derr there are 
plentiful groves of palm- and cassia-trees, very refreshing to 
the eyes. 

Derr itself is a wretched collection of mud houses, without 
even the most simple bazaar of any kind, — a miserable com- 
pound of dirty natives, dust, and castor-oil. We had read 
much of the fair skins of the inhabitants of Derr, who are sup- 
posed to be of direct Turkish origin. All the women we saw 
were as black or brown as the rest on the river, and decidedly 
more ugly, if that is possible. Moreover, here, as elsewhere 
in Nubia, they have an odious custom of plaiting all their hair 
in very tight plaits, soaking it in castor-oil, and cutting a frieze 
of hair over the forehead, which is plaited up with yellow-col- 
ored mud. The effect is far from pleasing, whilst the odor of 
castor-oil, when the whole howling populace turns out, is most 



THE NILE IN NUBIA. 141 

disgusting. We saw a small rock-hewn temple, with inferior 
and much-defaced sculptures of the time of Kameses II., and 
then we returned most gladly to the friendly shelter of our 
steamer, for the sun was becoming unbearably hot. 

In half an hour we arrived at Amada, one of the prettiest 
places on the Upper Nile, commanding a beautiful view of 
purple-tinted mountains. A steep, sandy walk of some min- 
utes brought us to a very interesting little temple. Unfor- 
tunately, the greater part is buried in the sand, but quite 
enough remains to delight the eye, especially from the bril- 
liancy of the coloring on the sculptures. Here again the 
fanaticism of the early Christians has to be thanked for a re- 
sult so utterly opposed to their intention. Many fragments 
still remain of the plaster which has preserved that which they 
only wished to deface. This little temple was probably built 
in the twelfth dynasty by Osirtesen III. Many cartouches are 
visible of Thothmes II., Thothmes III., and Amunoph III. 
All the sculptures here are very beautiful, and the colors most 
vivid and happily chosen. One of the most beautiful bass- 
reliefs represents the king — Thothmes III. — and his consort 
embracing each other. Her face is a perfect type of ideal 
Egyptian beauty, — the low forehead, full, soft eye, and tender, 
passionate mouth. The portico of this temple is so choked up 
by sand that one has to crawl on hands and knees into the 
transverse chamber leading to the adytum. We sat for some 
time on the ruins, admiring the lovely view. On our return 
voyage to Korosko, that evening, the setting sun shone full 
upon the waters, changing them to emeralds, opals, topazes, 
and rubies in turn ; above them the clouds, of rose-pink and 
faintest gray. Then the sun gradually sank behind the hills, 
framing them in a golden background ; and another day had 
fled. We saw several crocodiles on the downward voyage, 
and saluted more than one, but they steadily refused to " come 
and be killed." We moored at Korosko, — our old quarters, 



142 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

— and the melancholy sahiyahs creaked and groaned as noisily 
as ever. Our sight-seeing was then finished, and on Feb- 
ruary 1 we steamed with all haste towards Philse, where the 
steamer was to be coaled in preparation for the next trip. 

Early in the morning of February 3 we took in tow a da- 
habeeah belonging to an English baronet, who was travelling 
alone. He had taken fifty-five days to reach Aboo Simbel 
from Cairo, and naturally he was anxious to shorten his return 
voyage. Finally, the good steamer Nile brought us within 
view of the beautiful little temple of Philse, and our voyage 
to the Second Cataract and back was completed. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



FROM CAIRO TO JAFFA. 



AVhen the Nile voyage was accomplished, we took quarters 
at Shepheard's Hotel, at Cairo, to notice how it would contrast 
with our former residence, the Grand New Hotel. The two 
are great rivals, and although the New Hotel is by far the 
grander of the two, the long prestige which Shepheard's has 
enjoyed among travellers to India yet enables it to secure the 
greater patronage. Mark Twain in his " New Pilgrims' Pro- 
gress" states that Shepheard's is the worst hotel in the world. 
Whatever it may have been at the time of his visit, the remark 
would be most unjust at the present day. In activity, and as 
a central point, it is the leading hotel of Cairo. Its patrons are 
among the best of the travelling public, and it readily obtains 
sixteen shillings ($4) per day, exclusive of wine and lights. 

Previous to ascending the Nile we had engaged a dragoman 
for the Holy Land and Syria, that we might travel indepen- 
dently, and not be hurried along on a " personally conducted" 
or any other unsatisfactory basis. During our absence he had 
noted the departure of steamers from Port Said for Jaffa, and 
we timed our stay at Cairo so as duly to meet the Austrian 
Lloyd line. These dragomans are engaged by parties of trav- 
ellers upon the plan that all expenses of every description, ex- 
cepting wine, shall be settled by the former in consideration of 
a certain fixed amount per diem from the latter. In the case 
of the ascent of the Nile by dahabeeah a sum is named for the 
entire voyage. The term dragoman is derived from the Arabic 

143 



144 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

word terjumdn, which latter comes from the Chaldsean targem, 
" to explain." Originally, then, the dragomans were only in- 
terpreters, but gradually their sphere was extended until they 
are now contractors for the entire arrangements of a tour. The 
man we selected was a Syrian, and we engaged him upon the 
recommendation of an English friend, who had just completed 
the Holy Land tour under his care. 

Leaving Cairo from the station on the Shoobra road, the 
train proceeds northward to Kalioub, a distance of ten miles. 
Near this place are the remains of ancient Onion, a Jewish city 
built by the high priest Onias and his followers, who fled from 
the power of Antiochus in Syria. The course of the railway, 
after leaving Kalioub, is through the rich delta district in a 
northeasterly direction to Zagazig. Close by this modern town 
is the village of Tel Basta, the remnant of the Bubastis which 
was the capital of Egypt during the reign of Sheshonk I., of 
the twenty-second dynasty, the Shishak of the Bible. Zagazig 
is a town of forty thousand people, and a railroad junction of 
some importance. Thence following an eastern course over the 
desert, and parallel with the Fresh Water Canal, there is no 
stop of interest until Ismailia is reached. This pretty town is 
named after the Khedive Ismail, and owes its origin to the 
Suez Canal, on which it is located. Properly speaking, it is 
on Lake Timsah, but the lake is only an enlarged section of 
the canal. Ismailia was originally intended to be the chief 
canal city, as its plan indicates. In 1860 the site of this town 
was a portion of the desert, and now its wide streets are bor- 
dered with houses and gardens. To accomplish this transfor- 
mation, the Fresh Water Canal was constructed from a point 
below Cairo to Ismailia and Suez, a distance of one hundred 
and ninety-five miles. This provides a supply from the Nile, 
which spreads fertility wherever it touches. Scarcely was the 
Fresh Water Canal completed to Ismailia and Suez, when it 
was found necessary to supply Port Said. This was done by 



FROM CAIRO TO JAFFA. 145 

means of two powerful pumps at Ismailia, which draw the 
water from the canal and force it through a double line of pipes 
extending the entire distance of fifty miles to Port Said. Is- 
mailia is not unlike Atlantic City in appearance, though not 
so extended. Its progress was steady and rapid, until, through 
a feat of engineering ignorance, the course of the Fresh Water 
Canal was altered, and an epidemic produced. It appears that 
the volume of fresh water now runs directly towards the town, 
thereby saturating the sandy soil and engendering typhus fever. 
While only a small proportion of the cases prove fatal, but few 
escape an attack, and all who can have fled. The streets, 
hotels, and shops are almost deserted, giving the unfortunate 
town the appearance of an American sea-shore resort previous 
to the opening of the season. On a wide avenue, fringed with 
trees and facing the Suez Canal, is the chalet or villa of M. de 
Lesseps, the first house built in Ismailia. During the con- 
struction of the great maritime highway the French engineer 
occupied it as his home, and dispensed hospitality to those who 
came to inspect the progress of his work. 

When we arrived on the bank of the canal, after walking 
through Ismailia, a small steam postal yacht was in waiting to 
convey us to Port Said. The distance from Ismailia to Port 
Said is nearly the same as from Ismailia to Suez, about fifty 
miles. Steaming northward, the little craft was soon beyond 
Lake Timsah and in the canal proper. Thence for miles the 
prospect comprises nothing but high sand-banks or a view over 
the desert, presenting a favorable opportunity to introduce an 
outline or history of the canal in lieu of other attractions. 

The idea of a water communication between the Red Sea 
and the Mediterranean is not of modern origin. The first at- 
tempt was made in the time of the Pharaohs, and finally 
completed under Ptolemy Philadelphus. During Cleopatra's 
reign this primitive canal had become impassable; but it was 
restored under the Caliphs in the seventh century. One hun- 



146 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

clred and fifty years later it was purposely closed for military 
reasons ; and about A.D. 1000 it was again rendered navigable. 
Finally the old canal was permanently abandoned, and the 
sand allowed to fill the channel. The pioneer in more modern 
times to give attention to the project of a canal to unite the 
two seas was Napoleon. His engineer, M. Lepere, went so 
far as to survey a route, when the enterprise received its death- 
blow in the withdrawal of the French from Egypt. In 1846 
an international commission was appointed to inquire into the 
feasibility of constructing a canal ; but its labors resulted in 
nothing, excepting to prove that the difference of level between 
the two seas is only three inches. At last, in 1855, the master- 
mind of M. de Lesseps presented a plan for a direct route 
through the Bitter Lakes, Lakes Timsah, Ballah, and Men- 
zaleh. In 1856 the energetic Frenchman secured the necessary 
permission, in spite of the political opposition of the English 
government, and in 1858 he opened the list for subscribers to 
the capital. The actual work was commenced in the spring of 
1859, and, after vicissitudes too numerous to detail here, the 
great undertaking was brought to a successful completion in 
1869. On the 17th of November of that year almost all 
nations — including jealous, doubting England — took part in 
the ceremony of declaring the Suez Canal open to the ships of 
every nationality. 

The entire cost of the work will aggregate from ninety to 
ninety-five millions of dollars, of which amount Egypt has 
borne not less than one-half. Through a stress of financial 
difficulties the Suez Canal Company was compelled to transfer 
its title to the Khedive, and he in turn has but lately made 
the British government the owner. And now the " visionary 
canal," at which Britannia scoffed, has become of vital impor- 
tance to her interests. The tariff' for the passage of the vessels 
is ten francs (two dollars) per passenger, and ten francs per 
ton, — the latter being rated on the registered capacity. The 



FROM CAIRO TO JAFFA. 147 

average passage through the canal is fifteen hours, caution 
being necessary to preserve the banks. A vessel sailing from 
England through the canal to Bombay will save nearly five 
thousand miles over the route around the Cape of Good Hope. 
The length of the canal is just one hundred miles, of which 
about one-third was actually cut, and the lakes, which com- 
prise the remaining two-thirds, were dredged to secure the 
uniform depth. The width of the canal on the surface is three 
hundred and twenty-eight feet, except through the stony plateau 
of Chalouf, where it is considerably narrower, on account of 
the difficulty of cutting. The width on the bottom is seventy- 
two feet, and the depth twenty-six feet. 

The United States Consul-General at Cairo has recently 
furnished the Department of State with a paper on the Suez 
Canal, from which the following information is taken : 

"The entire cost of the canal was 472,921,799 francs, or 
§92,273,907. The stock of the company consists of 400,000 
shares, at 500 francs each. These shares have sold as low as 
100 francs each ; at the opening of the canal they had advanced 
to only 300 francs. They are now quoted at 717 francs, and 
are probably worth more. The British government paid about 
568 francs. The number of shares bought in 1875 by Lord 
Beaconsfield at this price was 176,602. 

" This great purchase, aside from its political and commer- 
cial advantages, thus yields a clear profit of 25,000,000 francs 
at present prices. The balance of the stock is held by a number 
of persons, mostly in France. 

" The revenues of the canal have increased from 5,000,000 
francs in 1870, to over 30,000,000 francs in 1877. The ex- 
penses, including interest, sinking fund, and lands, have been 
a little over 17,000,000 francs per year. While the revenues 
steadily increase, the expenses are decreasing or stationary. 
Deducting the amount paid for interest and the sinking fund, 
the actual expenses are about 5,000,000 francs annually. The 



148 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

cost of cleaning the canal and its accessories is only about 
2,000,000 francs per annum. The small comparative cost of 
maintaining the canal arises from the fact that there are no 
locks or lateral embankments to be broken. Except the ordi- 
nary cleaning there is little to be done. Vessels drawing 
twenty-five feet of water or less pass through the canal. Two- 
thirds of all the vessels passing through the canal carry the 
English flag." 

When about half-way between Ismailia and Port Said the 
little steamer halted at a spot called Kantarah, to enable us to 
procure a meal. And such a meal it was ! Our eight passen- 
gers were ushered into a rough, low-ceiled room, which had a 
bar on one side and a bare table on the other. In the centre, 
under a coal-oil lamp, was a round table filled with wine bot- 
tles, pipes, cigarettes, etc., and surrounded by as forbidding a 
set of men as the imagination could picture. They would have 
matched the worst group in any mining camp of Nevada. 
The sinister-looking host and his wife set the table and finally 
gave us the repast. It consisted of coffee without milk, an 
omelet, and a leathery article dignified with the name of a chop. 
The only satisfaction we had from the latter was to feed a 
good-natured, half-starved dog, who displayed an inclination 
to make friends. The poor brute taxed his powers of mastica- 
tion to the utmost to dispose of that chop, and when it was 
finally accomplished, he looked up with a consciousness of at 
least one superiority over man. During our meal the round- 
table party regaled us with several rollicking songs of not the 
most refined character. Upon calling for the bill, the landlady 
announced that the charge was four francs each. We paid the 
demand and left, but our fellow-travellers demurred and re- 
ceived a reduction of one franc per person. So indignant was 
the considerate hostess that exception should be taken to her 
tariff, that she called to the captain to upset the boat. 

Although the captain may have sympathized with the Kan- 



FROM CAIRO TO JAFFA. 149 

tarah female, he declined to upset the boat, and landed us 
safely at Port Said. The traveller's stay at Port Sai'd is now 
rendered most delightful through the new model Hotel Pays- 
Bas, or Netherlands, which a Prince of Holland has rashly 
built. The front of the house faces the canal, and from the 
portico of our room we watched the stately ships as they moved 
in and out of the passage which the genius and determination 
of M. de Lesseps have given to the world. The entire site of 
Port Said is made ground, and its harbor is formed by two 
moles or breakwaters. These sea-walls are built of huge blocks 
of concrete, and stand about one thousand five hundred yards 
apart. One extends into the sea a distance of two thousand 
seven hundred and twenty-six yards, and the other one thousand 
nine hundred and sixty-two. Port Said contains eight thousand 
inhabitants, and in appearance it resembles a new American 
town. Its existence is due to the canal, and in consequence 
of its location it has become a central point for travellers bound 
for the Holy Land and India, as well as for the interior of 
Egypt. 

The Austrian Lloyd steamer was in the harbor, and at four 
in the afternoon of the day following our arrival we sailed for 
Jaffa. The Argo was completing only her third voyage, en- 
abling us to make our first appearance under the Austrian flag 
in handsome quarters. According to the steamer's log, the 
Pharos, or flash-light, at Port Said was visible for more than 
twenty miles. The Mediterranean was as smooth as a river ; 
and without any incident worthy of particular notice, Jaffa 
was reached at 7 a.m., after a run of fifteen hours. 

Jaffa has no harbor for large vessels, thereby necessitating 
an anchorage fully half a mile from the shore. Scores of 
noisy, troublesome natives come off in boats and annoy travel- 
lers upon the arrival of the steamer, a vexatious custom which 
prevails throughout the Levant. Our dragoman selected a 
boat, and gave the others to understand that no annoyance 



150 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

would be tolerated. The sensation upon entering the Holy 
Land was different from that inspired by all other countries. 
While Europe is impressive for its greatness, and Egypt for 
its age, the Christian traveller, upon landing at Jaffa, cannot 
but remember that Palestine is the holiest of lands. That the 
temporal glory of the country has departed is at once realized, 
but this fact in no manner diminishes the longing to wander 
over the ground hallowed by the footsteps of those whose 
names are sacred to the believer. 

Scarcely had we touched shore before a case of modern offi- 
cial depravity was exhibited. Our luggage had reached the 
custom-house, in the ship's boat, a few minutes previous, 
whereupon the model officers marked it as having been in- 
spected, and forwarded the lot to the hotel before our arrival. 
In return for this usual act of convenience the officers expected 
a franc. Fortunately, the best hotel of Jaffa, the Jerusalem, 
kept by United States Consular Agent Hardegg, is located 
without the town, and thus affords an escape from the narrow, 
foul streets and more repulsive people. 

Jaffa is built upon a hill directly on the beach, and now 
contains a population of eight thousand. It is the Joppa of 
the Bible, and in ancient times was. an important port. Ac- 
cording to the traditions of the place, it was here that An- 
dromeda was chained to the rock by Cepheus, and released by 
Perseus ; here the prophet Jonah boarded the ship previous to 
his adventure with the whale ; here Noah built the ark ; here 
Hiram, King of Tyre, sent the cedars of Lebanon to be car- 
ried to Jerusalem for Solomon's Temple ; here Peter recalled 
Tabitha to life ; and here Peter, while praying upon the house- 
top of Simon the tanner, fell into a trance and heard a voice 
saying, " Pise, Peter, kill and eat." The house of Simon the 
tanner " by the sea-side" is still shown. It is a small stone 
building in a very dirty quarter ; and because of the Koranic 
faith in Peter, it is now used as a Mohammedan chapel. The 









FROM CAIRO TO JAFFA. 151 

site may or may not be correct, but the view from the roof is 
well worth the visit. 

Overlooking the beach, we saw the natives loading oranges 
on lighters to be transferred to the steamer for shipment 
abroad. This fruit is the principal article of export from 
Jaffa, and the groves are loaded with it everywhere in the sur- 
rounding country. Jaffa oranges are of enormous size, the 
average of them being twelve inches in circumference, and a 
few eighteen inches. The peel is bulky, though easily torn, 
and scarcely more than a single seed is ever found in any one. 
In fact, many of them are entirely seedless. JS~o oranges are 
more juicy than those of Jaffa, but they lack that richness of 
flavor which is the characteristic of the Florida fruit. In 
1866 a colony of forty American families, chiefly from Maine, 
located at Jaffa; and in 1868 their number was increased by 
emigrants from Wurtemburg. Of the Americans, only nine 
are now left, but the Germans thrive better. The latter are 
of the sect known as the German Temple, who believe that 
Christians are under obligations to settle in the Holy Land. 
Travellers land at Jaffa, as it is the nearest point to Jerusalem, 
the two days' journey being accomplished on horses. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE HOLY LAND. 



All travelling in the Holy Land is done on horses. Rail- 
roads are unknown, and a vehicle is rarely seen. Two or three 
rough wagons are on hire at Jaffa, to make the journey to 
Jerusalem, but they are seldom employed. A firman was 
granted in 1875 to construct a railroad from Jaffa to Jerusa- 
lem ; but the project never advanced farther than to survey 
the route. Such a line would scarcely prove remunerative, as 
the travelling season is of limited duration, and there is but 
little traffic to afford freights. It would seem impossible to 
have worse roads than those in Palestine ; but better animals 
could nowhere be found for the arduous work. Nearly all the 
horses are quiet, and without tricks to disconcert even the in- 
experienced. Where the country is sufficiently level and dry 
to admit of it, the horses gallop at a rapid pace without trying 
the rider. The manner in which they climb rugged places 
and descend the sides of mountains excites the wonder of the 
stranger. Although it is impossible that they should not slip 
occasionally, yet they rarely or never fall. Following the 
Arab training, when the horses halt it is done at once, no matter 
what may have been the speed. Notwithstanding the sudden- 
ness of this movement, it has not the effect of unseating the 
rider, as is the case with our horses. European saddles are 
furnished for travellers, but those of Syria are by no means 
uncomfortable. The owner of the horses or his servant ac- 
companies a party with pack horses or donkeys to carry the 
152 



THE HOLY LAND. 153 

luggage. Caravans of camels are frequently encountered on 
the roads in Palestine, engaged in the transportation of freight, 
but their use is confined to the natives. 

A day sufficed to see Jaffa, and on the second afternoon we 
set out for Jerusalem. Riding through the repulsive market- 
place, and then heading inland, we soon cleared the town. 
Thence the road is lined with gigantic cactus hedges, which 
enclose rich groves of oranges. In about fifteen minutes the 
landscape changed, and before us was the fertile plain of Sharon 
(Isaiah lxv. 10). As a consequence of the rainy season, the 
plain was saturated, and in many places even the road was 
covered with water. The eastern boundary of this tract is 
formed by the mountains of Judaea, which are distinctly out- 
lined to the rider at the western border. A little farther on 
we passed one of the ten stone watch-towers erected at intervals 
from Jaffa to Jerusalem, to afford shelter and protection to the 
soldiers guarding the road. They have now become almost 
useless, and several are falling into decay. Beyond these 
nothing of interest is noticeable before coming to Ramleh, 
where travellers usually spend the night. 

Ramleh offers a choice of quarters between Bohnenberger's 
Inn and the hospitality of the Latin Monastery. We chose 
the former, and it appeared uninviting enough as we rode 
through the stone gate and dismounted in the muddy yard. 
The proprietor is a member of the Temple Community of 
Jaffa, before mentioned, and his humble inn will accommo- 
date from ten to fifteen persons. We approached our apart- 
ment by a stone stairway outside the building, and the ceiling 
proved to be like a dome. The cold stone floor was bare of 
carpet, and the windows without glass. Soon after our arrival 
a heavy rain commenced, rendering it necessary to close the 
wooden shutters, which left the room in darkness. All that 
night the storm continued, and in the morning a great puddle 
was formed on the floor near the door. Previous to retiring 

11 



154 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

we were agreeably surprised with a fair supper of German 
dishes, of which we ate heartily, while our host entertained us 
with an accordeon. 

The town of Ramleh was founded early in the eighth cen- 
tury, and at one time rivalled Jerusalem in extent and pros- 
perity. In its greatest days it was walled and had twelve 
gates. The Crusaders gained possession of the place in 1099, 
on their arrival from Lydda, which lies to the north of Rarn- 
leh, and contains the reputed tomb of St. George of dragon 
fame. Twice during the Crusades the Saracens, under Saladin, 
became masters of Ramleh, eventually holding it until in the 
latter part of the thirteenth century it was peopled exclusively 
by Muslims. The era of decline dates from the fifteenth cen- 
tury, and now its population will not exceed three thousand. 
A ruined church, said to have been built by the Crusaders, 
and the tower of Ramleh are the chief structural monuments. 
The architecture of this tower, which is five stories in height, 
is attractive because of the beauty of its pointed doorway, little 
windows, and flying buttresses ; and from the summit, reached 
by one hundred and twenty steps, the view is fine. 

When we were ready to take the road in the morning at 
eight, it was still raining; but being provided with rubber 
suits we suffered no detention. Those who visit the Holy 
Land in the winter months, or the rainy season, should come 
prepared. A delay of one day will cost as much as the suits 
of rubber, and with those purchased at Port Sai'd we were 
completely protected, even on horseback. The best seasons 
for Syrian travel are spring and fall, as the summer must be 
avoided on account of the intense heat and the fever generated 
by the filth of the cities. 

Twenty minutes after leaving Ramleh we came to the brook 
in the Wady-er-Ramleh, and found it so swollen that the 
bridge was completely submerged. The valley on both sides 
was overflowed, and the torrent resembled a rapid. After 



THE HOLY LAXD. 155 

waiting an hour for the water to subside a little, we ventured 
through on the horses, and, with a narrow escape from being 
swept down, the party emerged safely. The small pack-horse 
sank up to his body and wet the lower parts of the luggage. 
We were, however, quite satisfied that he was not thrown over 
in his struggles. The road soon after became stony and the 
rain plentiful. Pressing on, we passed through the miserable 
village of Latrun, the traditional home of the penitent thief, 
or of both thieves; and then by Bir Eyyub, or Job's Well. 
After being five hours on the road in the rain and hail, and 
seeing the utter impossibility of completing the journey, we 
concluded to halt for the night at the Bab-el- Wady (gate of 
the valley), where, our dragoman stated, there was a " kind of 
a hotel." 

The shelter was a wretched, solitary building, opposite one 
of the watch-towers, and bore the name u Restaurant des 
Moines de Jud6e." On the ground-floor was a room, which 
served as a stable, kitchen, bedroom for the Arabs, pigeon- 
roost, and a receptacle for all the dirt which could be con- 
veniently collected. Ascending an outside stairway, a stone 
platform was reached, on three sides of which we found the 
rooms. The largest of the five apartments was the dining- 
and sitting-room, and this we entered. Cold and cheerless, 
with the rain beating in between the wooden shutters, the 
prospect for a comfortable afternoon and night was slim. A 
rough, cast-iron stove was brought into requisition, and our 
Jewish host, upon the promise of baksheesh, built a fire of 
olive-tree roots. A lunch brought from Ramleh was then 
disposed of to satisfy ravenous appetites, and the day passed 
in comparative comfort. When sojourning at doubtful hos- 
ieries we always experienced the chief discomfort from the 
beds, and the present instance was no exception. The room 
itself was far worse than the one at Ramleh, but the beds were 
simply execrable. Notwithstanding a liberal expenditure of 



156 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the lightning powder, the entire night was spent in a desultory 
conflict with the diminutive intruders. Curiosity prompted 
us to gather up the defunct enemies in the morning, and they 
numbered dozens. Near Bab-el- Wady is the traditional spot 
where Joshua commanded the sun to stand still (Joshua x. 12), 
but we were not sorry to welcome a bright sunrise and an 
early departure from the scene of that miraculous exploit. 

Passing many olive-forests on the path among the moun- 
tains of Judaea, we halted at the village of Abu Gosh, the Kir- 
jath-Baal (Joshua xv. 9, etc.) of the Bible. Here the Ark of 
the Covenant was deposited for a long period (1 Samuel vii. 
1 ; 2 Samuel vi. 2). The ruins of a grand old church close 
to the road are visited to inspect the richness of the ornamen- 
tation. Farther on is the village of Kulonia, the Emmaus of 
the New Testament ; and near it, in the valley by the bridge 
which crosses a swift stream, is the accepted spot where David 
killed Goliath. Thence traversing a stony region, about 1.30 
P.M. we approached the outskirts of Jerusalem, or that portion 
known as New Jerusalem. Passing the Greek Monastery of 
the Cross and the group of buildings belonging to the Rus- 
sian convent, we were at length within sight of the walls. 
The approach from Jaffa being the poorest of all the views, 
we saw but little of the city from afar, and, descending, we 
rode along the wall, stirred with that strange excitement which 
possesses almost every traveller on his nearing the Holy City. 
Riding in at the Jaffa Gate, the sentry presented arms, and the 
wet, slippery stones of Jerusalem were under our horses' hoofs. 
The Mediterranean Hotel is close by the Jaffa Gate, and there 
the journey ended. Directly opposite we saw the spread-eagle 
sign of the American consulate, and within an hour after our 
arrival the consul extended his welcome. 

Scarcely were we within the walls of the city before we expe- 
rienced a feverish anxiety to complete the pilgrimage, lest some- 
thing to prevent it might even then occur. Therefore, after a 



THE HOLY LAND. 157 

hearty meal, we directed the dragoman to lead the way to the 
Holy Sepulchre. Slipping and stumbling over the wet stones 
on the narrow way called the Street of David, thence turning 
into Christian Street, when finally, after passing down an alley, 
we stood before the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Fortu- 
nately it was open. Crossing the threshold with a sensation 
never to be forgotten, we halted at the stone upon which Christ 
was anointed after the crucifixion, glanced at the place where 
the Virgin Mary stood during the anointing, and then in- 
stinctively hurried to the Holy Sepulchre. The small outer 
chamber contains a portion of the stone which closed the en- 
trance to Christ's resting-place ; but scarcely giving it a glance, 
one by one we crept under the low arch into the narrow tomb 
itself. Without uttering a word, all reverentially knelt beside 
that holiest of all objects of Christian veneration, the sepulchre 
of the Saviour of mankind. When, after several minutes, we 
emerged into the church, it was with the most profound satis- 
faction and contentment. The pilgrimage so dear to every 
believer had been accomplished. Come what might, it could 
never be undone ; we had knelt at the tomb in which the Re- 
deemer was placed to fulfil the prophecy, and from the door 
of which the angel announced the resurrection. 

The second spot of supreme interest is the Chapel of the 
Raising of the Cross on Calvary. There we went next, and 
saw the silver-faced hole in the rock in which the cross stood. 
It seemed almost impossible to realize that we were bending 
over the place where Christ died. Nothing is to be seen but 
a simple opening in the rock, surrounded by the glitter and 
parade of a Catholic altar. The latter is unnoticed. All- 
absorbing is the hole large enough to admit the hand, for 
there they crucified the Son of God. Then, in order, the many 
other sacred places in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were 
visited. Among them are the Chapel of Parting of the Rai- 
ment, Altar of the Penitent Thief, Chapel of the Finding of 



158 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the Cross, Throne of the Greek Patriarch, the place where 
Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, Chapel of St. Helena, 
part of the Column of Flagellation, Chapel of the Derision, 
the cleft in the rock (Matthew xxvii. 51), Chapel of St. Mary, 
the stocks in which Christ is said to have been bound while 
the cross was being prepared, Chapel of St. James, the tombs 
of Joseph and Nicodemus, and the various chapels of the reli- 
gious denominations in possession of the Church. The ques- 
tion of the accuracy of all these localities, and their remarkable 
proximity to one another, is one that has been fully discussed 
and will never be settled. The Church of the Holy Sepul- 
chre, after many tribulations, is now the joint property of all 
the divisions of the Catholic faith, — the Latin, Greek, Arme- 
nian, Copt, and Abyssinian. The services of one or more of 
the sects are constantly in progress, and they not unfrequently 
interfere with one another. 

The Biblical associations in and about Jerusalem are so 
numerous that it is impossible to detail them. As the streets 
are rough and the hilly environs very fatiguing, it becomes a 
question of endurance to see all. That an idea may be formed 
of what can be accomplished, a transcript will be given of the 
diary of our second day's work : " We walked the length of 
Via Dolorosa, and saw the fourteen stations past which Jesus 
bore the cross; the Ecce Homo Arch and the window of 
Pilate's palace, at which he wiped his hands of Christ's death ; 
the Citadel, or David's Tower, and a complete model of the 
Tabernacle, with the Ark of the Covenant; the Armenian 
Monastery and Church of St. James ; and the Nunnery of the 
Latin Sisters of Zion. Thence passing out by the Jaffa Gate 
we visited the Valley of Hinnom, Pool of the Sultan, Mount 
Zion, and Mount of Evil Counsel ; the burial caves for pil- 
grims, made by the Jews after Christ's death ; the Fountain 
of Rogel and the gardens of Kings David and Solomon ; 
the pools of Solomon, Siloam, and St. Mary; the Valley of 



THE HOLY LAND. 159 

Jehoshaphat and Mount of Scandal ; the tree on which Judas 
hanged himself; the Pyramid of Zacharias, Grotto of St. 
James, Tombs of Jehoshaphat and Absalom ; the Jewish ceme- 
tery and the bridge over the Kidron, near which Christ was 
thrown into the torrent; the spot where Judas gave the kiss 
of betrayal ; the Gardens of Gethsemane, and the Grotto of 
Agony; the Golden Gate from the outside, and the spot where 
St. Stephen was stoned to death ; the Mount of Olives and the 
house where Jesus wept; the Mount of Galilsea in the distance; 
and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, from which her assump- 
tion took place. Entering the city again by St. Stephen's Gate, 
we also saw the Pool of Bethesda, the Tower of St. Antonias, 
the place of Christ's flagellation, a Mohammedan police court, 
Mount Moriah, a piece of the wall of Solomon's Temple, and 
lastly the Jews' Wailing Place, with several men and women 
weeping and praying for the departed glory of Jerusalem. 
While outside the walls many repulsive lepers besought us for 
alms, especially in the vicinity of their hospital." 

The journey to the Dead Sea and river Jordan is of a very 
fatiguing character. The path across the mountains from Jeru- 
salem is steeper and more nearly impassable than any we have 
ever attempted. Three days are usually devoted to the trip ; 
but it can be accomplished without difficulty in two. As the 
people near the sea are of doubtful honesty, it is necessary to 
be accompanied by an escort of mounted Bedouins, who are 
furnished by the government at five francs per day for each 
man. When we were ready to start at seven in the morning 
of the 9th of February, the two guards, who were engaged by 
the United States consul, were awaiting us. In addition there 
were a mounted muleteer, a greyhound, and a pack-donkey for 
the portmanteaus and lunch. Accompanied by the dragoman 
and the above retinue, we set out on as pretty a day as could 
dawn in a rainy month. Issuing from the Jaffa Gate, we rode 
around the northern side of the city, passing the Damascus 



100 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

and Herod's Gates, and then to the southeast by St. Stephen's 
and the Golden Gate. Thence descending into the Valley of 
Jehoshaphat, and along the wall of the Garden of Gethsemane, 
the road skirts the Mount of Olives and ascends the neighbor- 
ing hills. Here the view of the city is the finest. The Mosque 
of Omar, which occupies the site of Solomon's Temple, is in 
the foreground, just without the wall, and farther back towards 
the western side are the two domes of the Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre. On the southwest of the city are the Jewish syna- 
gogues and the Armenian Church of St. James. On the north- 
west, outside the walls, are the large buildings of the Russian 
colony and its monastery. Another turn in the road obscures 
the city from sight; and in about thirty minutes more a miser- 
able, half-ruined village is reached, which, according to the 
Bible, " was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off." 
This is Bethany, "the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 
It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and 
wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick." 
There Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, and " from that 
day forth they (the Jews) took counsel together for to put him 
to death." From Bethany Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem 
seated upon a young ass, and the people "took branches of palm- 
trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed 
is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." 
The home of Lazarus and his cave-tomb are pointed out to the 
traveller, as well as the house of Simon the leper. (Mark 
xiv. 3.) 

Proceeding to the northeast and then descending into the 
Wady-el-Hod, or valley of the drinking-place, we filled the 
stone jars at the well of Azariyeh (Arabic name of Bethany), 
as no other fresh water is to be found between that place and 
the valley of the Jordan. This spring was once enclosed with 
a stone building now in ruins, and is generally known by the 
name of the Apostles' Spring, as the followers of Christ drank 



THE HOLY LAXD. 161 

of its water on their journey. Thence the route continues 
through the Wady el-Hod and over mountain paths the most 
rugged that could be traversed. In many places the rocky 
ledges are so abrupt that it would seem impossible to pass them ; 
but the sure-footed Syrian horse carefully steps from one dan- 
gerous spot to another, while the rider's mind is in a state of in- 
tense anxiety. Thus we passed many a place a man would hesi- 
tate to walk, and where one false step on the part of the horse 
would have proved fatal. On a plateau amid the hills is ISTeby 
Miisa, or the tomb of Moses, a Mohammedan pilgrim shrine. 
It is so called by them on account of their belief that Moses 
was interred there, but the site is disproved by Deuteronomy, 
which states that he was buried " in a valley in the land of 
Moab (east of Jordan), over against Beth-peor; but no man 
knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." Soon after passing 
Neby Musa the Dead Sea comes in view from one of the ele- 
vated positions ; but many a hill and valley must be traversed 
before the lowest land is reached. Then the plain seems to be 
endless, and the sun pours down its scorching rays in a manner 
that decidedly conflicts with the idea of winter. 

We are now thirteen hundred feet below the level of the 
Mediterranean, and three thousand seven hundred feet below T 
Jerusalem. Very slow does the progress seem to the rider who 
has been in the saddle six long hours; but at last the beach is 
reached, and the horse splashes in the heavy water. Not a 
ripple is seen, and all is so quiet that but for the large body of 
water the presence of a sea could not be believed. Dismount- 
ing, we tasted the water, and found it so nauseously bitter that 
the experiment was not repeated. Wherever the skin was 
touched, an oily, sticky sensation remained. The banks are 
strewn with a variety of beautiful pebbles, many of which, in- 
cluding the stinkstone, we gathered for souvenirs. While the 
lunch was being spread out on a carpet, we amused ourselves by 
leading the thirsty horses down to drink. Each took one mouth- 



162 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ful, but only one, and that was quickly dropped. Nothing could 
persuade them to make a second trial. Next the greyhound 
was tempted to imbibe, but one lap of his tongue proved suf- 
ficient. The water contains about twenty-five per cent, of solid 
matter, one-half of which is sodium chloride or salt. The in- 
gredient which imparts the bitter taste is magnesium chloride, 
and that which causes the water to feel oily to the touch is 
calcium chloride. There are also traces of many other ingre- 
dients in its composition, so that the specific gravity of the 
water is 1.166. The water will not boil until 221° Fahrenheit 
is attained. No fish of any kind can exist in the Dead Sea, 
and even shells are absent. 

The Dead Sea was so called by early Greek writers. The 
Hebrews knew it as the Salt Sea, and the Arabs know it as the 
Bahr Lut, or Lake of Lot, as Mohammed introduced the story 
of Lot in the Koran, or had it introduced for him by the monk 
Bahira. Until 1848, the knowledge of the Dead Sea was in- 
accurate, but in that year the United States government sent 
out an expedition under Lieutenant Lynch to explore it thor- 
oughly. According to his figures the sea is forty-six miles 
long, its greatest breadth ten miles, and greatest depth one 
thousand three hundred and eight feet. It is estimated that 
six million tons of water are emptied into its basin daily, but 
as there is no perceptible outlet, the whole volume must be 
carried off by evaporation. The density of the water is such 
that a man can float without the slightest effort, and diving is 
accomplished with great difficulty. No boats or signs of habi- 
tations are seen anywhere around the sea, although this was 
not the case in ancient times. A haze constantly hangs over 
the surface of the water, and varies in density with the weather. 
It is generally supposed that Sodom and Gomorrah were located 
about the lower end of the Dead Sea. 

Having eaten the lunch and filled the tin vessels in which 
the water can be sealed, we again mounted the horses, and 



THE HOLY LAND. 163 

headed over the wet plain of Jericho. A drove of nine wild 
boars started across our path ; but laboring under the impres- 
sion that they were somebody's porkers, we forbore to use the 
fire-arms we carried. Upon demanding of the Arabs why 
their long-barrelled, flint-lock weapons Avere not brought to 
bear, they could give no satisfactory answer. They were too 
lazy to unsling the pieces from their shoulders. Give an Arab 
horseman a supply of tobacco to make cigarettes, and let him 
creep along at a snail's pace, and he will be satisfied to do 
nothing else. Twenty times during the day we urged them to 
lead on faster ; but, as their efforts were of such short duration, 
we effected a remedy by leading them. Our private dragoman 
proved no better than the escort. The predominant character- 
istic of the Syrians is greed for money, and a wish to acquire 
it sitting cross-legged with a cigarette between the fingers. A 
Syrian is an Egyptian with a bad temper, including several 
more fleas, and with rather fewer Muslim prayers. On the 
question of filth, honors are divided. The Syrians have more 
in their cities, and the Egyptians pile it up higher in the 
country. A moderate deluge, accompanied by a dash of soft- 
soap, might prove beneficial to both populations. The cleans- 
ing of the Augean stables is not a circumstance to what is 
needed in the East. One hour's ride in the mud on the plain 
of Jericho brought us to the banks of Jordan — that swift river 
which was sanctified in those days when "Jesus came from 
Xazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the 
heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon 
him : and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Ever since 
that sacred event, pilgrims have considered it an exalted privi- 
lege to be baptized in the same waters, and every year thousands 
assemble from all quarters of the globe to bathe in that rolling 
current. And thousands more carry away vessels filled with 



164 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the venerated liquid to sprinkle myriads of little children, and 
thus, in the name of the Holy Trinity, to bring them into the 
Christian fold. Such is the comfort of Faith ; and foolish is 
he who deserts that Faith until science or sophistry can offer 
a substitute for drying up the waters of belief, whose touch 
inspires consolation to the suffering and hope for the mysterious 
future. 

Although the Jordan is the leading river of Palestine, it is 
but from fifty to one hundred and fifty feet in width. In a 
straight line from its sources to the mouth, the river is less 
than one hundred and fifty miles in length ; but when its 
meanderings are estimated it will measure nearly two hundred 
miles. The sources of the Jordan are in the low ground north 
of Lake Htileh, whence, forming that body of water, they unite 
in the single stream and pass through the Sea of Tiberias. 
The river finally empties into the Dead Sea. Along its course 
many brooks swell the volume during the rainy season; but 
few of them are perennial. The descent of the Jordan from 
Lake Huleh to the Sea of Tiberias is one thousand four hun- 
dred and thirty-four feet, and thence to the Dead Sea it is six 
hundred and sixty-seven feet, which accounts for its well-known 
swift current. The Jordan, in conjunction with the Dead Sea, 
forms the boundary between Palestine and Persea. The latter 
country is little frequented by travellers on account of the dan- 
ger to be apprehended from the Bedouin tribes. The ruins of 
several cities are found upon the territory, including those of 
Amman, or Philadelphia, as it has been called since it was 
rebuilt by Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt. The water of the 
Jordan is colored with the clay which it disturbs in its rapid 
descent, and this is particularly the case in winter and spring. 
In many places the banks are then overflown, and swimming 
would be absolutely dangerous. We contented ourselves with 
sprinkling the water on our heads, and in filling the tin cans 
to carry home for christening purposes. The name Jordan is 



THE HOLY LAND. 165 

derived from the Hebrew Yarden, meaning "descent," which 
was given on account of its great fall. 

The route from the ford of the Jordan, where the Pilgrims 
bathe, is directly across the plain of Jericho. On the way we 
passed close to the site of Gilgal, where the Lord removed the 
reproach of Egypt from the Israelites (Joshua v. 9), and where 
" they made Saul king before the Lord" (1 Samuel xi. 15). 
The brook Cherith (1 Kings xvii. 3-5), which lay in our 
path, was greatly swollen, but the careful horses carried us over 
safely. Near this stream is a white grape-vine whose trunk is 
one foot in diameter, whose branches cover a quarter of an acre 
of arbors, and which last year yielded two thousand seven hun- 
dred pounds of grapes. Other vines in the vicinity are of un- 
usual size, but the one mentioned is the largest. It was just 
growing dark as the little group of hovels which constitute 
modern Jericho was reached, and we dismounted at a mud hut 
called the inn, the best quarters the place affords. The room 
into which we were shown resembled the Black Hole of Cal- 
cutta, and all night long the vermin improved their opportu- 
nity. Under such circumstances an early start was natural, 
and we turned the horses' heads in the direction of the site of 
ancient Jericho. 

Until the arrival of the Israelites the city was prosperous, 
but under the instructions of the Lord (Joshua vi.) the walls 
fell down before Joshua, and his host " utterly destroyed all 
that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and 
ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword." Not- 
withstanding Joshua's curse on him who should rebuild Jericho, 
the city again flourished. Later on, Herod adorned the place 
with palaces, and constituted it his winter residence. Again, 
Christ, while on his last journey, passed through Jericho and 
tarried at the house of Zacchseus (Luke xix. 5). The place 
then declined, but New Jericho was built in the time of the 
Crusades and rose to some importance. The city afterward 



166 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

fell into the hands of the Moslems, and steadily decayed. The 
modern village suffered by fire in 1841, and now a few most 
wretched hovels alone remain. Within a short ride of the vil- 
lage is the Sultan's Spring, which is believed to be the water 
healed by Elisha with salt (2 Kings ii. 19-22), and therefore 
often called Elisha's Spring. Beyond is the Quarantana, or 
the Mount of Forty Days' Temptation (Matthew iv. 1-11), 
and in a valley near by is said to be the spot where Elisha was 
fed by ravens (1 Kings xvii. 6). Thence entering the moun- 
tain path, we continued during the entire morning to climb 
the rocky ledges, and at noon halted by the ruins of the Hadrtir 
Khan, or hospice, to enjoy the lunch. Everywhere the sur- 
roundings are of a wild, dreary character, and tradition has 
located it as the place where the incident occurred which is re- 
lated in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke x. 30-37). 
Two hours' ride from this point brought us again to the path 
by which we had come, and at dusk, in a drenching rain, Jeru- 
salem was entered by St. Stephen's Gate. 

Immediately on our arrival the landlord of the Mediter- 
ranean communicated the intelligence that General Grant had 
telegraphed for apartments for ten persons, and that the whole 
party would arrive in the afternoon of the next day. During 
that morning bustle and preparation were in order, and at one 
o'clock the United States consul, a detachment of infantry 
with their band, the kawasses (consular attendants) of the 
various consulates, and a representative of the Pasha of the 
city, went out to Kulonia to escort the illustrious traveller. 
At four the procession returned with the band playing, and in 
the midst rode the American ex-President. The party con- 
sisted of General Grant, his wife, Jesse Grant, John Russell 
Young, of the New York Herald, and the officers of the 
United States Steamer Vandalia. The sitting-room had been 
prepared for the general's party to dine privately, and after 
the meal they remained there until he retired. Mr. Floyd, 



THE HOLT LAND. 167 

a colonist from Maine, was selected to act as General Grant's 
dragoman for the work in and about the city. 

The following morning proved clear, enabling us to make a 
start for Bethlehem before the distinguished visitors had come 
down to breakfast. Bethlehem lies to the southwest of Jeru- 
salem, and the journey upon horses occupies an hour and a 
half. Issuing from the Jaffa Gate, the road descends into the 
valley of Hinnom (Joshua xv. 8), and then passes near the 
Montefiore charity-houses for indigent Jews. Thence crossing 
the Mount of Evil Counsel, where the Jews are supposed to 
have consulted with the high priest Caiaphas upon the killing 
of Christ, we obtained one of the best views of the city. The 
road next passes over the plain of Beka'a, which is thought to 
be the valley of Rephaim, where David smote the Philistines 
(2 Samuel v. 18-25), and then near the monastery of Mar 
Elvas. Farther on we halted at the supposed tomb of Rachael, 
who died in bearing Benjamin, and was buried on the way to 
Bethlehem (Genesis xxxv. 16-20). " Ephrath, which is Beth- 
lehem," is now within a few minutes' ride, but before entering 
the city we left the route to see David's Well, which was " by 
the gate" (2 Samuel xxiii. 14-17). Crossing through the 
steep and narrow streets of the town, we finally dismounted at 
the Church of the Nativity, where a hospitable Franciscan 
monk bade us welcome. 

Bethlehem is a place of great antiquity, as its mention in 
Genesis proves. The town is indebted to David for its ad- 
vancement, but its renown culminated with the birth of the 
Saviour. The Arabs destroyed the city in the time of the 
Crusades, but it was rebuilt by the Europeans. Disasters 
from religious wars have several times occurred, so that now 
the population has been reduced to five thousand, nearly 
all of whom are Christians. The country, in the vicinity 
of the town, is richer and much better cultivated than that 
about Jerusalem. The Church of St. Mary, which stands 



168 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

over the birthplace of Christ, is surrounded by Latin, Greek, 
and Armenian convents, all of which have equal rights. The 
church is in the form of a basilica of rare beauty, and it is 
said to be the original building erected by the Emperor Con- 
stantine. Each pair of aisles is divided by two rows of eleven 
columns of reddish stone, with Corinthian capitals. The roof 
is pointed, and was once elegantly decorated. The style of 
the building throughout is chaste and marked in its simplicity. 
The great attraction is, of course, the crypt, which contains 
the Chapel of the Nativity. The former subterranean apart- 
ment is forty feet long, twelve feet wide, and ten feet high. 
Its pavement and walls are of marble, and the latter are 
partly covered with an ornamented leather screen presented 
by Napoleon III. Hanging from the ceiling are thirty-two 
lamps, — the gifts of various sovereigns, — which are constantly 
burning. Just at the foot of the stairs is an altar, with a 
recess beneath, and illuminated by fifteen silver lamps. On 
the pavement, under the altar and nailed down, is a large 
silver star, which bears the inscription : 

" Hie de Virgine Maria Jesus 
Christus natus est." 

This translated reads, " Here Jesus Christ was born of the 
Virgin Mary." Opposite this sacred spot is another recess, 
which is reached by a» descent of three steps. Here is the 
Chapel of the Manger, in which Christ was laid. The marble 
manger now there is a substitute for the supposed real one, 
which was taken to the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, at 
Rome. Next in the crypt is the Altar of the Adoration of the 
Magi, which is decorated with pictures representing the wise 
men from the East, who " saw the young child with Mary his 
mother, and fell down and worshipped him, and when they 
had opened their treasures they presented unto him gifts; 
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." A descent of five steps 



THE HOLY LA3D. 1(39 

brought us iuto the Chapel of the Innocents, where the tradi- 
tion relates many children were brought by their mothers for 
safety, but being discovered by Herod, he ordered them to be 
slain in the general massacre of all under two years of age 
(Matthew ii. 16). Farther on is the tomb of St. Jerome, and 
near it is the cell where that devotee lived and died. Thence 
we ascended to the refectory, where the warm-hearted Fran- 
ciscan monk gave us an ample lunch, during which we unin- 
tentionally saddened him by announcing the death of Pope 
Pio Xono. "When we were ready to start, he came to the 
horses and examined the girths before he would allow us to 
mount. Then kissing our hands, he wished us a hearty God- 
speed, and we rode away deeply impressed with his unaffected 
hospitality. 

The next place of interest to be visited in Bethlehem is 
known as the Milk Grotto, a cavern sixteen feet long, nine 
feet wide, and eight feet high, cut in the white limestone. 
The legend which sanctifies the grotto asserts that the Virgin 
and Child were here concealed previous to the flight into 
Egypt, and that, while she was suckling the child, a drop of 
the Virgin's milk fell upon the floor, whereupon the entire 
rock became white ! The superstitious also believe that the 
possession of a piece of this stone will augment a mother's 
milk. "We each brought away a specimen as a souvenir, al- 
though we may be sceptical regarding its efficacy. Farther 
along, on the same road, is the so-called Field of the Shep- 
herds, where the angel of the Lord came upon them and an- 
nounced the birth of the Saviour (Luke ii. 8-12). Within 
one hour's ride southwest of Bethlehem are the Pools of Solo- 
mon (Eccl. ii. 6), if the site can be believed. They are three 
in number, varying from one hundred and twenty-seven to 
one hundred and ninety-one yards long, from forty-nine to 
seventy-six yards wide, and from twenty-five to forty-eight 
feet deep. Four hours south of the Pools of Solomon is the 

12 



170 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

city of Hebron, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Re- 
bekah, Jacob and Leah were buried "in the cave that is in 
the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre." Hebron 
was desolated by Joshua (Joshua x. 36, 37), and was after- 
ward long the abode of David. Nearly three hours almost 
due east from Bethlehem is the celebrated monastery of Mar 
Saba, the abode of about sixty-five anchorites. These monks 
are followers of a learned theologian of the name of Sabas, 
who lived in the fifth and sixth centuries. The buildings are 
located amid desolate surroundings, and on the summit of a 
rocky hill about six hundred feet high, which overlooks the 
valley of Kedron. The hospitalities of the convent are ex- 
tended to travellers only upon the presentation of letters of 
introduction, but ladies are never admitted. 

Returning from Bethlehem, we rode around the wall of Je- 
rusalem and ascended the Mount of Olives, from which the 
best of all the views of the city may be had. The central 
summit, or mount proper, is two thousand six hundred and 
thirty-seven feet above the level of the Mosque of Omar. A 
mosque is located on the top, including a small octagonal 
chapel, which covers the spot from which the Ascension of 
Christ is said to have taken place. Although this chapel is in 
the possession of the Mohammedans, the Christians are allowed 
to worship there on certain sacred days. Notwithstanding the 
Mount of Olives is the accepted scene of the ascension, it is 
at variance with the statement in Luke that " He led them 
out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up his hands and 
blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, 
He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." Such, 
however, are the discrepancies in the sites in and about the 
Holy City. Again, for instance, much discredit is brought 
upon the Christian church by such an enmity between two of 
the denominations as that which has established opposition 
gardens of Gethsemane. And at Bethlehem the silver star in 






THE HOLY LAND. 171 

the Grotto of the Nativity is nailed down because the previous 
one disappeared, and the Latins charge the Greeks with 
having committed the theft. 

The next day we had the honor of accompanying General 
Grant and his party on their round of sight-seeing. The first 
visit was to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the 
Greek patriarch had deputed the Bishop of Philadelphia 
(Amman) to receive the renowned traveller. Each of us was 
furnished with a long, slender candle, the better to illumi- 
nate the various chapels, all of which were entered in turn. 
Mrs. Grant seemed deeply impressed with the sacredness of 
the various sites, and at nearly all she left the general's arm 
to touch or kiss them. Again, whenever any of the party 
expressed a doubt regarding the correctness of a site, she im- 
mediately enlisted herself in favor of its verification. The 
sword of Godfrey de Bouillon was produced, and General 
Grant acceded to a request to unsheathe the weapon. As he 
stood contemplating the blade of the valiant Crusader, it 
recalled the almost equally holy work of a few years previous, 
when, under his own sword, a great nation was freed of the 
stain of slavery and preserved in its unity. And it was a 
devout satisfaction to behold the great leader — not in his age, 
but in the prime of manhood — strong in mind and body to 
respond to his country's call, if unhappy counsels should again 
necessitate his services. 

After the tour of the church had been completed, the party 
was invited to the sacristy and there refreshed with coffee, 
cordial, and a white, sweet paste, which had to be followed by 
a draught of water. Upon rising to go, the bishop begged us 
to retain the candles as a memento of the completion of our ex- 
President's pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre. Mr. Floyd, the 
general's dragoman, next led the way to the ruined Muristan 
of the Order of Hospitallers, or Knights of St. John. This 
order was first established to entertain pilgrims ; but gradually 



172 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

it entered the religious lists, and finally became interested in 
politics. Late in the twelfth century the knights departed 
from Jerusalem, and about 1309 they came in possession of 
Rhodes, which remained under their dominion until wrested 
from them in the sixteenth century. A portion of the remains 
of the buildings here was presented to the Crown-Prince of 
Germany in 1869, since which time the work of excavation 
has been pursued. A mass of debris many feet in depth has 
been removed, thus exposing the level of the city when the 
buildings were erected in the twelfth century. The accumula- 
tion since the dawn of the Christian era must necessarily have 
been very much greater, thereby disproving all of the present 
stations on the Via Dolorosa, where, it is claimed, Christ halted 
while bearing the cross. Without pretending to enter on a 
description of these intricate ruins, it may be stated that they 
bear evidences of magnificence. A part which was less dilapi- 
dated than the rest was lately rebuilt by the Emperor William, 
and is now the German Protestant Chapel. 

General Grant had engaged to call on the Pasha of the city 
early in the afternoon, so that the final place of interest visited 
was the Haram esh-Sherif, or Mosque of Omar, which, next 
to the Ka'aba, is the most sacred in the Mohammedan world. 
Not alone to the followers of El-Islam, however, is the site of 
the mosque sanctified ground, for it includes within its limits 
the summit of Mount Moriah, where Abraham was commanded 
to make a burnt offering of his son Isaac (Genesis xxii. 2) ; 
and again to the Jews it is the holiest of places (2 Chronicles 
iii. 1), for thereon stood Solomon's temple. Formerly all 
unbelievers were excluded, but of late years permits are ob- 
tained upon application of any of the consuls. That the 
traveller may be protected from any possible insult or molesta- 
tion at the hands of the Muslims, it is customary to be accom- 
panied by the kawass, or consular attendant. The treasurer 
and the sheykh of the mosque received the general, and at- 



THE HOLY LAND. 173 

tended the party while on the premises. The enclosure which 
marks the limit of the Haram esh-Sherif (the noble sanctuary) 
is an irregular quadrangle, measuring five hundred and thirty- 
six yards on the west side, five hundred and twelve yards on 
the east, three hundred and forty-eight yards on the north, and 
three hundred and nine yards on the south. Several buildings 
are scattered over this area, but only two attract particular 
attention, — the mosque El-Aksa, or most distant from Mecca, 
and the Kubbet es-Sakhra, or Dome of the Rock. The former 
is a complicated building, which was originally erected by the 
Emperor Justinian and dedicated to the Virgin. The present 
structure is of mediaeval origin, and parts were added or re- 
newed at different dates. Inside the footprint of Christ on 
a stone is shown, as well as the tomb of the sons of Aaron. 
Toward the eastern wall are two columns so close together that 
it was with difficulty some of the more slender of us could 
squeeze between ; and yet, according to the Mohammedan 
belief, those who cannot do so will never be permitted in 
heaven. Under the portico on the front of El-Aksa is a 
marked column, and set in the wall on the opposite side there 
is a block of black marble. Only those will be accepted in 
heaven who can face the column, and then with closed eyes 
turn and walk directly to the block in the wall and touch it 
with the hand. John Russell Young accomplished the feat, 
but when Mrs. Grant essayed it her hand touched the wall two 
or three feet from the required place. After some laughter, 
it was agreed she might try once more; but the general's 
watchful eye caught her peeping, whereupon he informed her 
that it would do no good, as she was a " goner." 

The Kubbet es-Sakhra is an octagon, each of whose sides is 
sixty-six feet in length. The lower part of the exterior is of 
marble, while the surface above is entirely of Persian porcelain 
tiles. Extracts from the Koran extend around the building 
like a frieze. The interior is divided into three concentric 



174 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

parts by two lines of supports. The smaller circle consists of 
four piers and twelve columns, on which the graceful dome 
rests. In the enclosed centre is the rocky summit of Mount 
Moriah, about the genuineness of which there appears to be no 
dispute. The outer circle comprises eight piers and sixteen 
columns, all being of marble, and of different forms and 
colors. Both the columns and the capitals have been taken 
from more ancient edifices. The pilasters are also covered with 
marble, while the upper part of the wall is faced with rich 
mosaics composed of small squares of variously-colored glass. 
Above the mosaics is a broad line of antique Cufic inscriptions 
consisting of extracts from the Koran. The pavement is also 
of marble mosaics. Decidedly the most beautiful of all the 
examples of ornamentation in these mosques are the illumin- 
ated windows. The glass is not painted or stained, but actually 
consists of separate diminutive pieces of various colors. The 
effect of these windows is superb, and few in the world can 
excel the surpassing richness of those in the Kubbet es-Sakhra 
which encloses Mount Moriah. In a cavern beneath the 
mount are four altars which are said to mark the places where 
Abraham, Elijah, David, and Solomon prayed. More impor- 
tant to the Muslims is the belief that Mohammed made his 
devotions there, and to prove it they confidently point out an 
impression on the rocky ceiling caused by the Prophet striking 
his head upon rising from a kneeling position. After thus 
displaying the miraculous strength of his cranium he was im- 
mediately carried to heaven for an interview with the Almighty. 
So affected was the rock by his departure that it insisted upon 
accompanying him to the celestial regions; and even started to 
do so, whereupon the angel Gabriel was under the necessity of 
holding it down. The proof of this occurrence is forthcoming 
in the imprint of the angel's hand on the side of the rock. 
What reasonable man could doubt such a verification ? These 
legends have arisen from an exaggeration of Mohammed's 



THE HOLY LAND. 175 

celebrated dream of his " Night Journey" on the winged mule 
Al-Borak, when he was accompanied by the angel Gabriel from 
Mecca to Jerusalem, and thence by a ladder of light through 
the seven heavens to the presence of God. 

Again, near the entrance is a block of jasper set in the floor, 
into which Mohammed drove nineteen nails; ordaining that one 
should come out at the end of each epoch, and when none shall 
be left the world will reach its end. Now, in order to expedite 
the catastrophe, the Devil clandestinely started to withdraw 
the nails at once, but the vigilant Gabriel discovered him and 
arrested the work while three and a half yet remained. That 
the importance of these nails may be inculcated, visitors are 
informed that whoever covers the head of one with a piece of 
money is certain of heaven. General Grant no sooner heard 
the story than he placed a bichelik (about twenty cents) over 
one, and each of us followed his lead. It seemed only requi- 
site that the coins should remain on the nails a few seconds, as 
we noticed the sheykh gathered them into his pocket like any 
other filthy lucre. However, we hope all is right, and that 
the good Syrian has not taken our money on any false pretence. 
The beauty of the Kubbet es-Sakhra deeply impressed the 
Europeans of the middle ages, and many even supposed it was 
a genuine portion of the Temple of Solomon. Consequently, 
the order of the Knights of the Temple was founded, and the 
design of the building was taken to different parts of Europe. 
Throughout the entire enclosure of the Haram esh-Sherif 
legendary and historical points abound, but the above are fair 
examples. 

Should the season permit, the most thorough course, upon 
leaving Jerusalem and its vicinity, is to proceed overland by 
the way of Nazareth to Damascus. The journey will consume 
about twelve days. The faithful Syrian horse is, of course, 
the mode of conveyance, and portable tents are the best hotels. 
Issuing from the Holy City by the Damascus Gate, the route 



176 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

is first through Bettin, the ancient Bethel, and then to Nabu- 
lous, visiting on the road the well where Christ addressed the 
woman of Samaria. Departing from the ruins of ancient 
Samaria, the way is through fruit and olive groves to Jenin, 
on the plains of Jezreel. Passing the ruins of the town of 
Jezreel, Nazareth is next reached, and there is to be seen the 
Church of the Annunciation, as well as the spot where the 
angel appeared unto the Virgin Mary. The road now leads 
the traveller to the foot of Mount Tabor, and the snowy peak 
of the Hermon rises in the distance. Tiberias follows as a 
point of renown, and thence the path skirts the Sea of Galilee, 
upon whose shores our Lord fed the multitude. The site of 
Capernaum is traversed upon the way to Safed, and afterward 
the itinerary is through Kedish. A ride through picturesque 
scenery intervenes to Banias, but thence to Betima the road is 
rough and the task correspondingly wearying. The views of 
Mount Hermon are now magnificent, and the distant Lebanon 
range may be distinguished. A plain is crossed, and, finally, 
riding along the banks of the Pharpar amid gardens of fruit, 
the old, old city of Damascus is entered, and the long journey 
is finished. 

When we were ready to leave Jerusalem the wet season 
wore its worst phase, and all thought of the overland route 
had to be abandoned. The streams were more swollen than 
ever, several bridges had been carried away, and in many 
places the roads were impassable. In addition to this array of 
obstacles, a severe and prolonged storm was raging, and our 
departure even to Jaffa was thereby postponed. Snow fell to 
the depth of .eight or ten inches — an unusual occurrence at 
Jerusalem — and the wind blew almost a hurricane. The 
French Messageries and Austrian Lloyd steamers were pre- 
vented from touching at Jaffa for two days after the schedule 
time, and the Yandalia likewise delayed her departure from 
Port Said, although General Grant had telegraphed his ex- 



THE HOLY LAND. 177 

pec ted arrival on the coast. The day we were to have accom- 
panied the presidential party on the return journey from Jeru- 
salem to Jaffa was ushered in with a continuance of the raging 
storm, and a postponement was agreed upon, as above stated. 
However, as we were anxious to bid adieu to the repulsive 
streets of the Holy City, we determined to don our rubber 
suits the next morning and press the horses through in spite of 
the weather. An opportunity was afforded to test the stability 
of our purpose as the day dawned rainy and snowy, but with 
the wind somewhat abated. 

The lazy Syrian dragoman was rather surprised to hear the 
decision to take the road ; but he had no recourse, and at once 
brought the horses. When Ave were about to mount, Jesse 
Grant came and announced the general's determination also 
to start later in the morning. Once more the sentry presented 
arms at the Jaffa Gate, and away over the mountains of Judaea 
we urged the sturdy horses in the face of the wind and rain, the 
rubber suits completely protecting us from the worst showers. 
Occasionally, when we were in the valleys, the rain ceased en- 
tirely, but with the ascent of the next eminence it would again 
commence. An hour and a quarter brought us to Kulonia, 
where David killed Goliath, and at noon we halted at the mis- 
erable inn at Bab-el- Wady, where Joshua commanded the sun 
to stand still. It now became evident that we could accom- 
plish the very unusual winter feat for travellers of making the 
entire journey in a single day. It is usual to lodge at Ram- 
leh, as we did in coming, but seeing it within reasonable 
possibility to sleep at Jaffa that night, but a short time was 
allowed for lunch. Requiring that the horses should be fed 
during the noon halt, a custom strange to the Arabs, Ramleh 
was easily reached by three o'clock. When near the town a 
company of soldiers hastily formed on the road, thinking we 
were of General Grant's party, and knowing he w T ould remain 
there over night, it was their intention to receive him. At 



178 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

half past five in the afternoon we galloped into Jaffa, having 
been eight and one-half hours in coming from Jerusalem, 
including a halt of three-quarters of an hour. 

General Grant arrived at Ramleh that night, and at eleven 
the next morning I19 and his party alighted at the hotel in 
Jaffa. The French and Austrian steamers, and the Van- 
dalia, had not left Port Sai'd, but as it cleared during the day 
we knew they would all arrive early on the following morn- 
ing. During the enforced stay conversation was our only 
amusement, yet the ex-President of the United States readily 
accepted the society of the young men around him, and par- 
ticipated in their discourse. Certainly not one of the six 
young Americans who were thus honored with the great 
leader's presence felt the slightest restraint, and yet their re- 
spect 'was instinctively exalted for the man who could be at 
once the object of the world's ovation and still so accessible. 
Such an entire absence of the tiresome conventionalities of 
greatness must excite the admiration of every lover of repub- 
lican ideas. Throughout his travels General Grant neither 
solicited nor rudely refused that attention which eminence 
must expect. On the other hand, the Emperor Dom Pedro 
declined receptions with a harshness that, for one in his posi- 
tion, must be viewed almost as an eccentricity. 



CHAPTEE X. 

SYEIA. 

Uxtil within an hour of General Grant's departure from 
Jaffa on the Vandalia, it was expected his destination would 
be Beirut; but the most reliable authority assured him that 
the road to Damascus would be closed with snow. He there- 
fore abandoned the Syrian tour. Regretfully we saw the cor- 
vette and her starry flag sink down in the horizon, as she 
headed direct for Smyrna to visit the ruins of Ephesus. 
Thence Constantinople was the next objective point; then 
Athens, and finally the general landed at Naples to fulfil an 
engagement to meet his daughter in Rome about the middle 
of March. 

We boarded the Messageries steamer Seyne one afternoon, 
and at eight in the evening she steamed away from Jaffa with 
the night of that resplendent clearness which follows the de- 
parture of the last vestige of a prolonged storm. The Seyne 
is one of the most elegant steamers on the Mediterranean, and 
her great width allows space for grand state-rooms. It was 
deeply inspiring to walk the upper deck in the glowing moon- 
light, and feel the great vessel ploughing along in stately 
silence. If it is in a man to commune with his Maker, that 
is the hour and that the place, even upon thy breast, 

" Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form 
Glasses itself in tempests ; in all time, — 
Calm or convulsed, in breeze or gale or storm, 
Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime 

179 



180 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Dark-heaving — boundless, endless, and sublime, 
The image of eternity, the throne 
Of the Invisible ; even from out thy slime 
The monsters of the deep are made ; each zone 
Obeys thee 5 thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone." 

During the night we passed Haifa, where Mount Carmel 
(1 Kings xviii. 19) rises, and upon the inland side looks 
down on the derided Galilean village of Nazareth (John i. 
46), out of which Nathaniel learned there could come " an 
Israelite indeed in whom is no guile." Daylight brought 
with it the first glimpse of a city beautifully located on a hill 
by the sea-side, and a range of snow-clad mountains formed a 
magnificent background. The city was Beirut, and the moun- 
tains the Lebanon, with the lofty peak of Mount Sannin 
crowning the chain. At seven the next morning the Seyne 
cast anchor in St. George's Bay, and within the following hour 
we were installed in the sea-view apartment intended for Gen- 
eral Grant at the Hotel Belle Yue. We could have thrown a 
stone into the sea from our windows ; and when, at night, the 
high wind dashed the breakers over the stony beach, no reader 
would ask for a more enchanting sight. Below the window, 
beside the sea-wall, all day long a group of Syrians surrounded 
two of their number who were playing a game resembling 
checkers. More earnestly they could not have moved their 
pieces even if the game had been that of life, where, as always 
in checkers, even the dearest opponent sometimes considers it 
fair to improve the moment when a fellow-player is off his 
guard. 

So difficult are some of the Arabic sounds to express in 
English letters that a wide diversity of opinion exists regard- 
ing the orthography of the name of the Syrian entrepdt. 
Among the ways it is spelled are Beirut, Bairout, Beyrouth, 
Beriut, Berut, and Bey rout. The inhabitants pronounce it 
bay-root. The city is the ancient Phoenician Berytus, but it 



STRIA. 181 

was a place of no great importance until within the present 
century. It is true that Herod Agrippa, to ingratiate himself 
at Rome, adorned Berytus with baths as well as amphithea- 
tres for gladiatorial exhibitions, and in the third century a 
Roman school of law was established ; but still the city's in- 
fluence was unimportant. From the latter end of the six- 
teenth century until 1860, Beirut and the surrounding coun- 
try, including Damascus, were infested with a cruel, fanatical 
sect known as the Druses. Finally, when foreign intervention 
was removed from Turkish aifairs by the Treaty of Paris, in 
1856, the Christians were completely at the mercy of the 
Druses, and, through the instigation of the Turkish masters of 
the country, the demoniac hatred culminated in the massacre of 
ten to fifteen thousand Christians. France then interfered as the 
protector of the Roman Catholic faith, and having despatched 
an expedition of ten thousand men to Syria, the Druses were 
defeated and driven to the interior district, known as the Hau- 
ran, where they still live in scattered numbers. Since 1860 the 
city has rapidly increased in trade and population, until now 
it contains nearly one hundred thousand souls, a majority of 
whom are Christians. Beirut is now the principal sea-port 
of Syria, and in appearance the bay and city are not unlike 
Naples. Situated in latitude 33° 50' N., its climate is healthy 
and not oppressive in the summer. Gas and water have been 
supplied since 1875, and everywhere the spirit of progress is 
visible. The bazaars, on account of the innovation of Euro- 
pean influences, have become unattractive as examples of ori- 
ental habits ; but in their place modern stores supply a great 
variety of wares. The suburbs are particularly pretty, and 
the lemon, orange, palm, and sycamore add much to the 
drives and walks. There are no buildings in the old por- 
tions of the city worthy of especial mention ; but it will be 
interesting to many readers to hear somewhat in detail of at 
least one of the new edifices which, through the exertions of 



182 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the American Presbyterian Mission, have been erected at Ras 
Beirut. 

The institution referred to is the Syrian Protestant College, 
a monument of the untiring Christian labors of its President, 
Rev. Daniel Bliss, D.D. While the American Mission has 
labored in Syria for more than fifty years, and has spread its 
beneficial influences throughout the country, the college is the 
work of the last twelve years. The plot of twenty-five acres 
owned by the institution is slightly elevated ground directly 
by the sea, and its prospects are of surpassing beauty. The 
buildings are of stone and of pleasing design, the whole having 
been erected under the personal supervision of Dr. Bliss, in 
1872-73. The principal structure is the Literary Department, 
in which are the chapel, lecture and recitation rooms, library, 
cabinets, and dormitories. The second building is the Medical 
Hall, comprising lecture-rooms, cabinets, medical library, a 
dissecting-room, and a chemical and pharmaceutical laboratory. 
The third is the Lee Observatory, erected through the liberality 
of an English gentleman, and containing a large refracting 
telescope, a reflector provided with the latest adjustments, a 
transit instrument, and all requisite meteorological apparatus. 
In accordance with the request of the government at Constan- 
tinople, the college telegraphs daily weather reports. The 
fourth and last building is the refectory, with a dining-hall 
and apartments for servants. The Literary Department pre- 
sents a course of four years' study, and lately provision has been 
made for special branches. Regular diplomas are granted to 
all students that graduate in accordance with the collegiate 
regulations, and already the influence of those who have taken 
degrees is accomplishing much throughout the country. The 
faculty of the college includes, in addition to Dr. Bliss, such 
names as Rev. C. Y. A. Van Dyck, M.D., D.D., the trans- 
lator of the Bible into Arabic; and Rev. George E. Post, 
M.D., D.D.S., a brother of the eminent New York surgeon. 



SYRIA. 183 

"While the college is conducted upon Protestant and Evan- 
gelical principles, it is open to all students that will subscribe 
to its regulations. The sects now represented are the Protes- 
tant, Coptic, Latin, Orthodox Greek, Papal Greek, Armenian, 
Maronite, Druse, and Mohammedan. The names of one hun- 
dred and four students are now on the rolls. The institution 
is controlled by trustees in the United States, but local matters 
are decided by a board of American and British missionaries 
residing in the Orient. 

While the Protestant Syrian College and other minor schools 
care for the advancement of boys, the education of the girls has 
not been neglected. In addition to the British Syrian schools, 
the Beirut Female Seminary will command particular interest 
because of its management by three American ladies. The 
same variety of religious sects that is represented in the college, 
is also found in the seminary. The teachers are ladies of abil- 
ity, and, living on the premises, they give their whole time to 
this chosen life-work. 

Not a little excitement was produced in Beirut during our 
stay by the arrival, on Austrian Lloyd steamers, of more than 
two thousand Circassians from the late seat of war in Turkey. 
The well-known cruelty of these people had compelled them 
to leave their homes, now that their barbarity would most 
likely encounter a condign punishment. More villanous types 
of humanity it would have been impossible to congregate. 
These fugitives having collected in Constantinople, the Turkish 
government shipped them off to different ports in Asia Minor, 
with instructions that they must not return. Immediately on 
their arrival they were searched, and weapons found concealed 
in every unlikely part of their filthy raiment. One boy of 
sixteen boasted in the streets that he alone had decapitated 
five Bulgarian children. Another of these inhuman people 
offered for sale a Bulgarian Christian girl. As soon as this 
became known, the Pasha, at the request of the residents, in- 



184 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

stituted a search among the refugees for other captives. Many 
of them offered for sale chalices and other articles of church 
service, the booty of their work of destruction. They also en- 
deavored to dispose of ear-rings, finger-rings, and other jewelry 
which were proved by the blood-stains to have been torn from 
the persons of their victims. When the snow cleared somewhat 
from the roads these fugitives were conveyed to the Hauran 
before mentioned, where it will be a matter of little regret if 
the Druses deal with them as they have dealt by others. A 
few weeks previous an Austrian Lloyd steamer also brought 
a number of captive Bulgarians who were chained together in 
gangs. One died on the voyage, and it was necessary to file 
his irons apart to separate him from the living. These captives 
were bound for the prison at Sidon, and while they were in 
transit fourteen more died from hardship and exposure. 

The evening of the day of our arrival we attended a party 
given by, the United States consul, which had been planned in 
honor of General Grant. The opportunity was an excellent 
one to meet the entire Anglo-American colony, and the keenest 
disappointment was expressed by all that the ex-President had 
changed his plans so as to omit their city. Although the gen- 
eral would have been obliged to tarry in Beirut three days, 
the French road was opened at the expiration of that time, and 
the diligence conveyed us to Damascus. 

A substantial result of the French expedition of 1860 is the 
road from Beirut to Damascus. It was constructed principally 
with French capital, and incorporated as the " Compagnie Im- 
periale Ottomane, Beyrouth a Damas." The conveyances for 
day travel are diligences similar to those employed in Switzer- 
land, and drawn by six horses, harnessed three abreast. Those 
for night, which carry the mails, are close wagonettes to accom- 
modate four inside and one with the driver, and having three 
horses to pull them. Excepting when the road is heavy with 
snow, this service is reliable, eleven relays of horses being taken 



STRIA. 185 

in the seventy miles. The fall of snow already adverted to 
closed the road for more than two weeks, the blockade occur- 
ring in the Lebanon Pass, which is five thousand and sixty 
feet above the level of the Mediterranean. The path traverses 
first the Lebanon Mountains, then the valley of BekiVa, and 
lastly the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, near the base of which 
Damascus is located. The time required for the journey is 
eleven and a half hours, and the fare in the coupe of the dili- 
gence amounts to about thirty francs (six dollars). 

After a large force of mountain villagers had cut the road 
through, we were compelled to await the third day's diligence 
before the coupe* could be secured. When we started, at four in 
the morning, the winding horn of the guard resounded merrily 
as the horses galloped out of Beirut, and, scarcely slackening 
their pace, climbed many a hill before the dawn. Although 
the road is macadamized, in two or three places it was so badly 
broken and heavy with snow that the weighty diligence sunk 
deeply. At many points the snow reached above the top of 
our conveyance, and at times small disturbed portions were 
thrown in the partly open windows. Once the horses were 
unable to move the vehicle, and another span was sent for 
from the last station. Then with the eight animals, and all 
hands assisting, the great trap was moved after fully half an 
hour's exertion. The indolent Syrians were loath to descend 
from their second-class j)laces to help, but seeing us at the 
wheels the guard fairly drove them to work. When on the 
summit of the Lebanon Pass the views were magnificent. 
Westward, whence we had come, were the Mediterranean and 
the city of Beirut in its beautiful site on the shore. Eastward 
were the rich valley or plain of Beka'a, and the Anti-Lebanon 
range with the towering peak of Mount Hermon (Joshua 
xii. 5), which overlooks the valley of Jordan from its place 
on the south. All around us the mountains were deep with 
snow, and not a single rock bare to relieve the monotony. 

13 



186 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Descending into the valley, the snow gradually diminished 
until on the plain the early vegetation and mild atmosphere 
seemed like a magical transformation. The half-way station 
is Shtora, where a halt of thirty minutes is made for lunch. 
There we also concluded arrangements with the dragoman pro- 
prietor of the inn to furnish horses and guide us to Baalbek on 
our return from Damascus. In this connection it becomes 
necessary to explain that being unable to endure the lazy, mer- 
cenary dragoman who attended us in the Holy Land, we dis- 
charged him before sailing from Jaffa, according to a provision 
which fortunately had been placed in the contract. Hence 
the need of the services of the proprietor of the Shtora inn, 
who makes an additional business of escorting travellers to the 
ruins of Baalbek. Galloping across the plain, we were soon 
ascending the Anti-Lebanon range, where, however, no great 
elevation is attained and the snow caused no material trouble. 
The heavy roads and frequent halts to rest the horses had de- 
layed the diligence much beyond the schedule time, making it 
just eight in the evening when the guard's horn finally sounded 
at the Damascus Gate. Dirnitri's is the only hotel in the city 
worthy the name, and its rooms look out upon a quaint 
street, where a babel of noises continues from morning till 
night. 

The city of Damascus is considered to be the oldest of the 
world. Josephus states that it was founded by Uz, the grand- 
son of Noah ; but in the absence of records this must be a 
mere supposition. Damascus is first mentioned in the Bible 
as early as the fifteenth verse of the fourteenth chapter of 
Genesis ; but nothing is said regarding its foundation. King 
David conquered the city, but the Israelites had it wrested from 
their possession during the reign of Solomon. Thenceforth 
the conflicts of the Damascenes with the people of Israel were 
frequent. In B.C. 732, Damascus, in connection with all of 
Syria, bowed to the Assyrian power. Jeremiah, the prophet, 



SYRIA. 187 

when writing about B.C. 600, speaks of Damascus as a city 
much admired yet waxed feeble, and therefore "her young 
men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be 
cut off in that day, — saith the Lord of hosts. And I will 
kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume 
the palaces of Ben-hadad." The last was the name of a line 
of princes that ruled the country during several reigns, the 
same as the Pharaohs of Egypt. About B.C. 333, the city 
yielded to the extending sway of Alexander the Great, and later 
it acknowledged the Ptolemies. During the century preceding 
the Christian era the Romans took possession, and in their time 
occurred the visit and conversion of St. Paul. The Persians 
then came into power at Damascus, and in the seventh century 
the Arabs became its masters. The Omeyade Caliphs now 
came upon the scene, but in less than a century they were dis- 
placed by the Abbaside line of Bagdad. JSText the Fatimites 
of Egypt secured control, and they, in turn, gave way to the 
nomadic Turkish tribes called the Seljuks. In 1126 the 
Crusaders, under Baldwin, attempted the conquest of the city, 
but without success. Thenceforward Damascus was succes- 
sively ruled by the Saracens, Mongols, Mamelukes, Tartars, 
and finally, in 1516, the Turks, under Selim, entered the city. 
The massacre of the Christians in 1860 caused the destruction 
of their entire quarter, and the death of six thousand in the 
city of Damascus alone. No correct census of the population 
can be given, but at present the number is probably from one 
hundred and fifty thousand to one hundred and sixty thousand. 
Of these our local dragoman gave twenty-five thousand as an 
estimate of the proportion of Christians, which is probably not 
far wrong. The Catholic Christian sects are the most active 
in securing converts, although the American Protestant Mis- 
sion has labored not without result. The Mohammedans are 
extremely fanatical, and were they likely to prosper therein, 
they would not hesitate to reopen hostilities against the Chris- 



188 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

tians. However, throughout the late war perfect tranquillity 
prevailed. 

Finding ourselves the only travellers in Damascus, and 
having heard some doubts expressed as to the safety of coming 
at so excited a political juncture, we announced our presence at 
the United States consulate, to be known in case of need. The 
consular agent promptly called at the hotel and tendered any ser- 
vice required, but we had no occasion to ask protection. Every- 
where in the great bazaars we were cordially received, and the 
trifling sums we had to expend for souvenirs were sought with 
avidity. The bazaars are the great attraction of the city, pre- 
senting as they do an opportunity to study genuine oriental life 
and habits. The streets are all narrow, many of them being 
covered as a protection against the summer's fiery sun, and the 
shops are small square rooms, raised about two feet from the 
ground. When an owner leaves his shop for a short time dur- 
ing the day he merely hangs a twine net over the front, and 
no one offers to molest a place so barred. The buyer never 
enters the apartment, but deals exclusively from the outside. 
When a customer approaches he is either invited to sit on the 
mastabah, or stone ledge, or to accept a small stool which is placed 
on the ground. Sometimes the shopkeeper has the black coffee 
and a nargileh or jozeh (water pipes) brought to increase the 
good humor of the expectant patron. When a Frank is the 
patron, the prices rise wonderfully; but we became acquainted 
with oriental business habits and bartered accordingly. Based 
on American prices everything is, of course, excessively cheap, 
but a traveller soon learns not to be governed by home ideas. 
A fair specimen of shopping is about as follows. In the Shoe- 
makers' Bazaar we saw some native slippers with turned-up 
toes, and concluded to purchase two pairs. A local dragoman 
acts as interpreter. Salutations are exchanged, each touching 
his heart, mouth, and head. Pointing to the particular pair, 
we inquire, " How much ?" The answer comes in piastres 






SYRIA. 189 

(about four cents each in Syria), but we have it translated into 
francs or shillings : " Eight francs per pair." In reply we 
promptly offer two francs a pair. Without being the least 
offended the vendor bids us, "Take them for nothing," which 
is an expression commonly employed and without import. 
While this is proceeding the slippers are tried on, and the 
Syrian then reduces his demand to five francs. Next we offer 
five francs for two pairs, and he declines. He, however, agrees 
to accept eight francs for the two pairs. We now estimate that 
six francs will close the transaction, and make the offer. He 
emphatically refuses, and we walk away ; but before a dozen 
steps are taken we are called back, and " for thy sake" he will 
sell them for the six francs. In the process of paying with a 
napoleon the question of change arises, and the wily Syrian 
endeavors to rate some native pieces at more than their current 
value. Finally the matter terminates by requiring bicheliks of 
him — a debased silver coin which uniformly passes as a franc. 
So it is everywhere in the city, and the unpleasant though uni- 
versal system of bargaining must be tolerated as a custom of 
the country. Nearly all of each trade will be found grouped 
in a particular bazaar, and hence the names Coppersmiths', 
Water-Pipes, Perfumers', Booksellers', Drapers', Pastry Cooks', 
Joiners', Goldsmiths', Silk, and other bazaars. In addition, 
there are the Horse Market, Greek Bazaar, Saddle Market, 
Bedouin Bazaar, and Brokers' Market. In the last named 
second-hand goods alone are sold. The sword-makers also 
have a separate quarter where they still pretend to furnish the 
renowned Damascus blades. The process of damaskeening, or 
placing the gold and silver inlaid ornamentation on the blade, 
is both interesting and simple. Very few genuine antique 
Damascus swords can now be obtained, although there are some 
of old Persian manufacture which are probably as valuable as 
the former. Highly decorated ancient pistols and flint-lock 
guns are also offered for sale. 



190 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The baths of Damascus in olden times attained great celeb- 
rity, and although they are still very numerous in the city, we 
failed to discover any of great splendor. The magnificent 
Turkish Ham mam of Paris, or even those of London and 
San Francisco, are so much more luxurious that no comparison 
can be instituted. In addition, a contact with the best of 
Syrian fellow-bathers would not be pleasant, and for this 
reason we concluded to forego the proposed trial. The coffee- 
houses are also noted, but they are nothing more than the usual 
diminutive, uninviting resorts so numerous in the East. The 
coffee, which is simmered with sugar, is quite thick and served 
without milk. All the hotels and private houses in the Orient 
furnish it freely, it being customary to take several of the 
small cups during the day. It is thought to aid digestion, and 
a taste for it is quickly acquired. Of course the inevitable 
nargileh, jdzeh, or chibook must accompany the coffee. The 
tobacco used for these pipes is of a leafy character, but before 
being placed in the bowl it is soaked in water and wrung out 
with the hand. A coal of fire is then laid on top, and the 
smoker sits cross-legged, tugging away in blissful contentment. 

The sights of Damascus are not numerous, the principal 
interest lying in its unchanged oriental appearance and habits. 
Although it is the leading city of Syria, and the residence of 
the chief wdli, or Turkish governor, the double range of 
Lebanon Mountains, together with the absence of railroad 
communication, has been an effective bar to occidental innova- 
tions. The situation of Damascus is fine, and being surrounded 
with richer vegetation than almost anywhere in the Arabian 
peninsula, the Arabs regard it as an imitation of Eden. Mo- 
hammed is said to have refused to enter the city, as man is not 
entitled to more than one paradise, and his was heaven. Such 
impressions as the latter are not realized by travellers from the 
West, although the view of the city from the Kubbet en-Nasr 
(Dome of Victory) on the Lebanon hills is certainly impres- 



SYRIA. 191 

sive. The city boasts of three hundred and fifty mosques, and 
hence the squeaky, nasal intonation of the muezzin is frequently 
heard on the minarets. 

The leading sanctuary of Damascus, and the most important 
building of the city, is the Great Mosque. Outwardly the 
stranger is unconscious of its extent, as the structure is so 
closely surrounded by bazaars and houses. The enclosure 
which it occupies is a quadrangle, one hundred and sixty-three 
yards long and one hundred and eight wide, the four angles of 
which indicate the cardinal points of the compass. Adjoining 
the north side is an open cloistered court with pillars of granite, 
limestone, and marble. The mosque itself is on the southern 
side, and measures one hundred and forty-three yards in length 
and forty-one and a half in breadth. Its plan is that of a 
basilica, with the roof resting on arched vaulting of the horse- 
shoe model. A nave and two aisles of equal width are formed 
by two lines of Corinthian columns, twenty-two and a half feet 
high, which support the vaulting. In the centre is the Kubbet 
en-Xisr, or Dome of the Vulture, — so called on account of 
the supposed resemblance of the aisles to the outspread wings 
of that bird, as viewed from a position underneath the golden 
crescent. Four massive piers, enriched with colored marbles 
in various devices, uphold the dome and form the transept. 
In a cave beneath, the head of John the Baptist is reputed to 
be preserved in a golden casket. The floor is of marble, tessel- 
lated, but carefully protected by rugs. The large court, which 
is entered from the mosque, was formerly also paved with 
marbles. The mosque forms one side of this enclosure, while 
the remaining three are corridors, with columns of red stone 
and modified horse-shoe arches. 

The Great Mosque has three minarets, one of which, the 
Mad'neh Isa, is two hundred and fifty feet high. It is so 
named from the Muslim tradition that Jesus will alight upon 
it on the Day of Judgment. The Mad'neh el-Arus, or Bride's 



192 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Minaret, is ascended by one hundred and fifty-nine steps, from 
the summit of which a correct idea of the plan of the mosque 
may be obtained. The Mad'neh el-Gharbiya is a beautiful 
example of an octagonal minaret with three galleries and taper- 
ing towards the top until it terminates in a ball which is sur- 
mounted by a crescent. The architecture of the mosque in- 
cludes evidences of three distinct periods. The heavy founda- 
tions and exterior colonnades doubtless belonged to a Greek or 
Roman temple. The windows with rounded tops and a triple 
gateway, were portions of a church dedicated to St. John, 
which the Christians held from the close of the fourth century 
until early in the eighth, when they were expelled by the 
Omeyade caliph, Wei id. Over the gate is an inscription 
(Psalm cxlv. 13) in Greek, which translates as follows : 

" Thy kingdom, Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, 
And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations." 

Lastly, the arcades, dome, and minarets were constructed by the 
Saracens, whose descendants yet guard their inheritance. 

Prominent in the long list of other mosques is the Tekkiyeh, 
which is outside the walls on the Barada, at the western end 
of the city. The Sultan Selim founded it in 1516, to afford 
shelter to needy pilgrims, a mission to which it is yet devoted. 
It is an extensive, square structure, with two slender minarets 
and a graceful dome, and surrounded by a wall. The court 
is enclosed by a colonnade, outside of which are twenty-four 
chambers with individual domes, a feature which largely en- 
hances the conspicuous effect of the mosque. Almost in the 
centre of the city the attention is directed to the noted minaret 
of the Senaniyeh, which is coated with the blue, green, and 
white glazed tiles for which Damascus was once celebrated. 
The richly-decorated tombs of Nureddin, Saladin, and Bibars, 
the famous adversaries of the Crusaders, are also within the 
city, but admission to them is attained with difficulty. 



SFBIA. 193 

A source of much interest to strangers is found in the native 
houses. Many are elegantly finished within, and constitute a 
style confined to Damascus. Entering through a low door- 
way from the mean exterior, a court is reached which contains 
a fountain and sometimes a garden. Surrounding this is the 
house, with the stone stairways generally ascending from the 
outside to porticos around the second floor. There is rarely a 
third floor, and the roofs are terraced. The principal apart- 
ment, and the one displaying the most lavish expenditure, is 
on the ground floor, and called the saloon. Here the decora- 
tions are elaborately carved marble walls, expensive mosaic 
floors, arabesque ceilings, and a central basin or fountain. 
The saloon is for reception purposes, excepting in summer, 
when the master of the house uses it as a sitting-room on ac- 
count of the coolness which its construction insures. One or 
two of the khans, or storehouses for merchandise, — notably 
the largest, the Khan Asad Pasha, — are w T orth visiting to see 
the oriental manner of conducting wholesale trade, as well as 
the buildings themselves. 

Damascus is a walled city, and entered by eight gates. After 
dark the gates are closed, and pedestrians are required to 
carry lanterns. At the northwestern corner of the w T alls is the 
castle, or citadel, which is surrounded by a moat now unused. 
The exterior walls are well preserved and apparently formida- 
ble, but the interior is badly decayed. The entire fortress oc- 
cupies a quadrangle about two hundred and eighty yards long, 
and two hundred wide. The foundations of the castle are at 
least as ancient as the Roman period, while the present massive 
walls are of mediaeval Saracenic origin. 

Within the walls of the city the chief Biblical association is 
the quaint "street which is called Straight" (Acts ix. 11). 
Whatever it may have been when Saul of Tarsus was led as a 
blind man into the house of Judas, it is far from being straight 
at present. A portion of its length is a covered bazaar, and 



194 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the part near the eastern gate is comparatively modern. The 
house of Judas, on Straight Street, and that of Ananias, in an 
alley near by, are still indicated. The sites may be correct, but 
the latter building is decidedly modern. Without the city, 
near the Christian cemetery, is the traditional place in the wall 
from which Saul was let down at night in a basket (Acts ix. 
25). In the cemetery named is the much-revered tomb of "St. 
George, the porter." An inquiry as to his identity developed 
the story that he was the porter of the gate, and assisted Saul 
in his nocturnal escape. A short distance along the road from 
the wall is a carefully-preserved, elevated piece of an old 
Roman road. Here the miracle of the conversion (Acts ix. 
3-8) is alleged to have taken place. This site is, however, 
much disputed, many authorities maintaining that the true 
spot is farther from the city. 

Saturday afternoon, according to the Damascene code of 
fashion, is the proper time to assemble on the promenade out- 
side the wall, along the little river Barada. We were fortunate 
in having a fair Saturday, said to have been the first in Damas- 
cus in four months, thus enabling us to witness an unusual 
turnout. Thousands were scattered along the way, a large 
majority being of the weaker sex. The women of Damascus 
are the prettiest in Syria, although that does not signify great 
beauty. Every one of the hundreds on the promenade wore 
the white, baggy outer-gown of muslin, which extends over 
the head. They are excessively careful to cover their faces, 
but when they are protected the anxiety terminates. While 
we were still walking, a group of weather-worn men came in 
over the French road. They were immediately surrounded 
by little knots of joyful friends, and it was not difficult to 
understand they were vetetrans from the war. These men, it 
proved, had been with Osman Pacha, and they were returning 
but to tell how the decisive field was lost. 

After we arrived some of the Circassians straggled along, 



SYRIA. 195 

and many of those who had their families in wagons con- 
tinued on to Bagdad. That ancient city is distant fifteen days' 
journey, and is rarely visited by travellers on account of its 
similarity to Damascus. We saw a caravan of forty or more 
camels coming in from Bagdad, all heavily laden and travel- 
worn. Palmyra, or " Tadmor in the Wilderness" (1 Kings 
ix. 18), the City of Palms, which the Bible tells us was built 
by Solomon, may also be reached from Damascus. It is five 
days 7 journey to the northeast, and when the country is en- 
tirely tranquil it is not unfrequently seen by travellers. Many 
of the ruins there are magnificent, especially those of the Tem- 
ple of the Sun and the Street of Columns. Palmyra was the 
capital of the ambitious and talented Zenobia, who at one time 
extended her sway over Mesopotamia, Syria, and a part of 
Egypt. Like many others, great and small, she at last over- 
reached herself, and the Emperor Aurelian led her as a captive 
in his triumphal procession at Rome. Those who have visited 
the Eternal City will recall Miss Hosmer's masterpiece of the 
warlike Palmyran queen. To the north of Damascus are the 
once proud Antioch, Aleppo, and Baalbek, and to the last we 
will now extend our travels. 

Upon leaving Damascus for Shtora we took the night post 
wagonette of the Compagnie Imperiale Ottomane Beyrouth a 
Damas, which started at six o'clock. Including the driver 
we numbered only three, but the trap proceeded unmolested by 
any of the straggling Circassians, whom we encountered while 
crossing the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. These fugitives were 
of the two thousand mentioned as having landed at Beirut for 
distribution in the Hauran district. Although it was just one 
in the morning when we entered the little inn at Shtora, the 
lively Italian hostess rapped at six to urge an early start for 
Baalbek. The coffee and eggs were soon disposed of, and 
once more we were in the saddle. The horses we rode to Baal- 
bek had more spirit than those in the Holy Land, and a slight 



196 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

pull on the wicked Syrian bit produced very decided effects. 
The road crosses the river Litany, and extends lengthwise over 
the fertile plain or valley of Beka'a, which lies between the 
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges. The Arabic word Beka'a 
signifies " cleft," but the valley is in reality a table-land two 
thousand eight hundred and fifty feet above the level of the 
Mediterranean. 

The ride through this scenery was grand beyond description. 
On every side snow-covered mountains met the vision, and 
enveloping them was a pinkish haze which heightened the effect. 
Throughout the valley the ground was free of snow, and 
scores of husbandmen were at work with the primitive ploughs 
drawn by sluggish cattle. Much of the soil in the Beka'a, 
and particularly that on the slopes of the hills, is of a reddish 
hue, caused by the presence of iron oxide. Along the line of 
the road we encountered small caravans of camels heavily laden, 
as if to compensate for the long period of enforced inactivity 
caused by snow and rain. Scores of the poor, patient little 
donkeys struggled along under their cruel burdens of firewood, 
and occasionally an Arab horseman passed with the usual ori- 
ental salutation. Many people on foot followed the camels 
and donkeys, the women walking in the rear, as the mere 
creatures of service they are considered. Wherever the light 
of Christianity gleams into a household this female servitude 
is broken, and woman at once assumes the position for which 
nature and humanity always intended her. 

About an hour's ride north of Shtora is the considerable 
village of Mu'allaka ; and above it on the slope of the hill, and 
surrounded by poplars, is the thriving town of Zahleh. A 
marked change has been wrought in both these places through 
the noble exertion of the American Presbyterian Mission. 
We were told in Beirut, before leaving, that an earnest young 
Philadelphian, the Rev. Gerald P. Dale, Jr., was in charge of 
Zahleh and the Beka'a district, and if possible to see him. As 



SYRIA. 197 

it most pleasantly happened, while we were galloping along 
about two hoiirs from Baalbek, a horseman approached from 
the opposite direction, and when within hailing distance his 
clear American accent led us to ask if he were not Mr. Dale. 
It was no other man than he, and upon announcing whence 
we hailed, a more cordial meeting could not be pictured. 
After accepting his invitation to dine at Zahleh on our return 
the following day, we pursued the journey. Some unimpor- 
tant ruins were passed, and on the left Mount Sannin — the 
highest of the Lebanon range — towers eight thousand five 
hundred and fifty-seven feet above the sea. The six columns 
of the Temple of the Sun of Baalbek then came in sight, and 
at one in the afternoon we dismounted in the modern village 
of the same name. 

Baalbek, it is reasonably supposed, is the Heliopolis of the 
Greek and Roman writers, although no records of the place 
exist previous to the third or fourth century. The Bible proba- 
bly refers to it in the statement that " Balak took Balaam, and 
brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he 
might see the utmost part of the people" (Numbers xxii. 41). 
Again, the discovery of Jewish architecture among the ruins 
leads to the supposition that it was there Solomon built the 
house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings vii. 2). The Greek 
name Heliopolis indicates that Baal, or the sun, was the chief 
object of worship. Through the changes of the devices on the 
coins of Heliopolis from one period to another, it is calculated 
that one of the temples was erected about the beginning of the 
third century. In the seventh century it was first stated that 
Antoninus Pius had dedicated a great pantheon at Heliopolis in 
Phoenicia, whose magnificence excited the wonder of the age. 
Most editors speak of this edifice as the Temple of the Sun, or 
the Great Temple. Theodosius afterward partly destroyed this 
temple, and converted it into a Christian church. Like other 
cities in the adjacent country, Baalbek was successively ruled 



198 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

by the Greeks, Komans ; Seljuks, Arabs, Saracens, and Tartars, 
until it was finally destroyed. 

The Acropolis, which contains the ruins, is just without the 
present village and surrounded by gardens. The buildings 
extend from the west to the east, and the entire space occu- 
pied is given as nine hundred feet long by five hundred wide. 
From mere observation this measurement or estimate appears 
excessive. Approaching the ground from the village, we first 
encountered a small and well-preserved temple, whose beauty 
recalled the gem known as Pharaoh's Bed, on the island of 
Philse in Egypt. This little Baalbek temple has a semicircu- 
lar cella or interior adorned with three niches. The exterior 
has a peristyle of eight handsome monolithic columns, with 
Corinthian capitals, supporting a curved architrave and elabo- 
rate entablature. Between the columns in the outer wall are 
shell niches ornamented with curved architraves, borne by 
small Corinthian pilasters. Within a short distance are the 
remains of what is called the Christian Temple, containing 
three rows of Corinthian columns, which are alternately of red 
granite and the yellowish sandstone of the neighboring quar- 
ries, from which the Necropolis was also built. Attached are 
a ruined minaret and a Mohammedan mosque court with the 
usual fountain for ablution, showing the last use made of the 
structure. 

Thence, passing through a break in the wall, we entered the 
portico of the Great Temple, or Temple of the Sun. Some 
editors call it the Temple of Jupiter, reserving the name "Tem- 
ple of the Sun" for the smaller sanctuary yet to be described ; 
but it seems reasonable to agree with the nomenclature of those 
who assign the dedication of the Great Temple to the Sun, as 
Baal was the leading deity worshipped at Baalbek. The por- 
tico is a rectangle twelve yards in depth, and formerly had 
twelve columns in front. At the sides are ornamental tower- 
like structures, containing chambers adorned with niches and 



SYRIA. 199 

carvings. From this portico three portals led into the first or 
hexagonal court, the dimensions of which are given as sixty- 
five yards deep, and to the extremities of the angles eighty- 
three yards wide. This court is sadly ruined, but enough re- 
mains to show that around it were square exedrge, or lateral 
chambers, with four columns in front of each, together with 
smaller, irregular apartments between them, and all opening 
into the court. Numerous shell-shaped and other niches deco- 
rated this portion of the temple. Leaving the hexagonal court, 
three portals led into the grand court of the temple, which 
is stated to be one hundred and forty-seven yards long, and 
one hundred and twenty-three wide. On three sides of this 
enclosure are semicircular exedrse, adorned with niches of 
various designs, the latter being generally arranged in two 
rows, one above the other. In front of the exedras are the re- 
mains of rows of columns, some of which were of syenite. The 
centre of the court shows the remnants of what was probably 
a basilica. Beyond the grand court is the temple itself, of 
which but little remains standing, except six magnificent col- 
umns which formed part of the peristyle. It is these columns 
that are seen as the traveller approaches Baalbek. These 
stately shafts were formerly of the line of nineteen on each 
side and ten at each end, which surrounded the temple proper. 
As usual, authorities differ regarding their dimensions, the 
range being from sixty to seventy-five feet in height, and from 
seven feet three inches to seven feet six inches in diameter. 
They are of yellowish stone, and have elaborate Corinthian 
capitals. The stylobate still remains, together with an archi- 
trave, frieze, tooth moulding, Corinthian corbels, and cornice. 
Within the temple the ground is covered with fallen columns, 
broken stones, and fragments of various kinds, which render 
it impossible to determine the original outlines. 

The wreck of the stupendous walls which enclosed the west 
and north sides of the temple is really the most wonderful of 



200 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

all the ruins. Several of the stones are of a size to amaze even 
the traveller who has seen the colossal architectural relics of 
the Nile. In the north wall are nine blocks, each of which is 
thirty feet long, ten feet high, and ten feet thick. The west 
wall is, however, the marvel, for built in it, at a distance of 
nineteen feet above the ground, are three stones which measure 
respectively sixty-two, sixty-three and a half, and sixty-four 
feet in length, each thirteen feet in height, and about the same 
in thickness. Three more of dimensions to equal these are 
scarcely to be found in the world. The nearest approach to 
them are the Colossi of Thebes, which were originally mono- 
liths fifty feet in height. It is true there are obelisks in Egypt 
of greater length than any of these stones, such, for instance, 
as the one at Karnak, which is ninety-seven and a half feet 
long, but then the enormous bulk is lacking. Even the shaft 
of Pompey's Pillar at Alexandria, while it is seventy-three feet 
high, is but nine and a half feet in diameter. 

Adjoining the Great Temple on the right is the small though 
more beautiful Temple of Jupiter, the most perfect ruin in 
Syria. It was built on a base of its own, and, though contigu- 
ous to its larger neighbor, they were entirely separate. The 
front faces the east, the portal having been entered from a flight 
of steps now destroyed or covered with debris. No court in- 
tervenes, but a superb porch alone marks the approach to the 
interior. This porch was twenty-five feet deep, and had a 
double row of columns on each side. The portal was evidently 
the feature of the temple, as it is remarkably ornate. The 
door-posts are monoliths, while the architrave is of three stones, 
the central one of which, having slipped partly down, has been 
propped by a pile of rude masonry. Throughout the whole 
the carving is of the richest character, including a representa- 
tion of an eagle holding in its claws a staff, and in its beak long 
garlands, the ends of which are held by genii. On the exterior, 
at a distance of ten feet from the outer wall, a magnificent 






STRIA. 201 

peristyle surrounded the temple. This consisted of fifteen 
Corinthian columns on each of the two sides, and eight at each 
end. These shafts, including the capitals, are rather less than 
fifty feet in height, and support an imposing entablature with 
a double frieze. The entablature is connected with the wall 
by slabs of stone, forming a ceiling upon which the most lavish 
workmanship is displayed. A few only of the columns of this 
peristyle are still standing; the fragments of many are strewn 
below ; and one shaft has fallen against the wall, but is held 
in its reclining position by the strong iron clamp which united 
it to the base. 

Entering the temple through the grand portal already de- 
scribed, the interior presents a combined picture of grandeur 
and destruction. The cella measures about twenty-nine yards 
long by twenty-five wide, yet almost the entire floor is cov- 
ered with fallen stones and debris. The north and south walls 
are each adorned with eight fluted half-columns, bearing a 
highly ornamented architrave, frieze, and entablature. The 
usual niches, arranged in two rows and crowned with projecting 
gables or curved architraves, add to the handsome effect. A 
raised sanctuary occupied the western side, and on the east was 
the portal, flanked by pillars containing spiral stairways. The 
roof and in some places the upper parts of the walls are entirely 
gone, and lie among the wreck on the ground. Fronting this 
temple, or somewhat to the right of the portal, is a building 
of mediaeval Arabic architecture which is heavy in appearance, 
and would be of no interest excepting that it represents a good 
example of what is called " stalactite vaulting. 7 ' This consists 
of domes greatly elongated or pointed, and with the vaulting 
covered with a diminutive arcading, which presents a different 
effect from the usual arching. This completes the Acropolis, 
and nothing in the way of antiquities at Baalbek remains to be 
mentioned excepting the quarries, which are about fifteen min- 
utes' walk from the village. The usual masses of stone are to 

14 



202 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

be seen, but the feature of all-absorbing interest is a block hewn 
all around, but with the low T er side not yet entirely separated 
from the mother-rock. It is not until the spectator approaches 
close to this huge piece that he comprehends it to be seventy- 
one feet long, fourteen feet high, and thirteen feet wide. The 
weight of this mass would probably be one thousand five hun- 
dred tons. Like the Egyptians, as shown by the undetached 
obelisk at Syene, or modern Assouan, the Baalbek masons 
dressed these immense blocks before entirely severing them 
from their beds ; and then, by hundreds or thousands of men, 
they were slowly dragged into position. 

The village of Baalbek offers nothing of interest except its 
superb surrounding views. The people are of the poorest class, 
and little that resembles comfort can be found. The school 
for boys, under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Dale, and Mrs. 
Mott's little institution for girls, have recently been opened, 
and must soon effect a general improvement in so small a place. 
Many of the young of both sexes are naturally bright, and they 
display an encouraging anxiety to learn. Having heard that 
the effect of sunset on the ruins was beautiful, and wishing to 
study the plan further, we went just before dinner to the foot 
of the village and found, near a well and running stream, a 
seat from which a good view could be had. As usual at sun- 
set, the women of the village, principally the younger ones, 
came down with their jars for water, as Rebekah did near by 
in Mesopotamia in the days of Abraham. After the jar is filled 
at the stream or well it is lifted on one shoulder, and held from 
the other side by the hand which is extended over the head for 
the purpose. It is to be noticed that all Syrian women carry 
the water-jars, and even their children, upon the shoulders, in 
distinction from the Egyptian females, who place all burdens 
upon their heads. Like the journey to the well, the former 
custom at least dates from the earliest records, as we have it 
that when Abraham drove forth Hagar he gave her a bottle 



SYRIA. 203 

of water, and, " putting it on her shoulder, and the child, sent 
her away" (Gen. xxi. 14). As each one passed near where 
we sat, some remarks were ventured regarding the book, and 
three or four looked over the plan of the Acropolis with evi- 
dent curiosity. Our inability to comprehend their Arabic talk 
brought forth more than one spell of laughter, as these people 
in their simplicity cannot conceive how their language can fail 
to be understood. 

Early the next morning we took the road to return, and 
soon after noon halted at the door of the Rev. Mr. Dale's 
house on the hill in Zahleh. Familiar pictures and home-like 
furniture fill his apartments, and there in that far-off oriental 
village we three from the same occidental city sat down to meat. 
After the meal we heard and saw evidences of the efforts of 
our earnest, self-sacrificing host in his arduous work of eleva- 
ting less fortunate fellow-beings. Mr. Dale has since married 
Miss Bliss, a daughter of the president of the Syrian Protestant 
College. That night we rode back to Shtora, and the next 
morning the diligence from Damascus carried us to Beirut 



CHAPTEK XL 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 



When we boarded the Austrian Lloyd steamer Saturno on 
the afternoon of March 4, at Beirut, all her decks, excepting 
that devoted to first-class passengers, were crowded with a most 
uninviting assemblage of the lower classes of orientals. There 
were Turkish soldiers, Syrians, Nubians, Greeks, Bedouins, 
Dervishes, ragged friars, repulsive women, and refugees of 
almost every type. In the first cabin, as a fellow-passenger, 
accompanied by his suite, was Izet Pasha, the military com- 
mander of Syria, since the Ottoman secretary of war, who had 
been summoned to the capital by the Sultan. Although the 
decks presented such an unsightly appearance, excepting the 
one mentioned, there was nothing in the first cabin of which to 
complain. The state-room we occupied was large and hand- 
somely furnished, as well as being located on deck, and the 
table offered an abundance of satisfactory food. The captain 
and most of the men were Dalmatians, a nationality which fur- 
nishes the company with nearly all its sailors. 

The anchor was weighed at seven, and it had just fairly 
become night when, with scarcely a consciousness of motion, 
we slipped away from the pretty harbor of Beirut. All went 
well enough that night, but when morning came we found the 
ship in a gale, and rain falling in torrents. The motion pro- 
duced a sensation which was opposed to leaving a comfortable 
berth, but by nine we w T ere able to repair losses with coffee and 
the delicate little rolls in which the cook excelled. In connec- 
204 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 205 

tion with sea-sickness it may not be uninteresting to expectant 
voyageurs to state that, having read so much of homoeopathic 
apomorphia as a preventive, we obtained a vial of it before 
leaving Paris for the Orient, and made the trial. The result 
was the same as with all remedies of every school — a failure. 
In fact, it aggravates the nausea when used after the malady 
has commenced ; and the dose, taken according to directions, 
before the steamer sailed, was fruitless. These remarks apply, 
of course, to the single case. In others the same medicine 
might be effective. This statement is made with no prejudice 
against homoeopathy; but simply because the best remedy is to 
allow the stomach to be relieved as soon as nature prompts. 
Until that occurs the chances of relief are too slight to be con- 
sidered, and even then the misery may be prolonged. 

AVhile we were at coffee the anchor was dropped off the island 
of Cyprus. The weather grew worse as the day wore on, and 
the bateaux which came out to land some of the wretched deck 
passengers, tossed about in rather an exciting manner. Men, 
women, and luggage were dropped into the boats like sheep, 
until, in spite of the gravity of the situation, the scene was lu- 
dicrous. The people and their bundles of bedding were imme- 
diately drenched, and many of the poor creatures were greatly 
terrified. Immediately upon leaving the ship the boats were 
swept far out of their course by the gale, while along the shore 
we could see the breakers dashing high in the air and pre- 
saging a dangerous landing. One of the steamer's officers went 
ashore with the mail, but failed to return; and, as it was prac- 
tically impossible to land the freight, the unwelcome conclusion 
was reached that fair weather must be awaited. All day long 
the ship rode heavily at anchor, but when the sun went down 
the storm abated. When we awoke on the morning of the sixth 
all was fair and calm, while the clatter of the donkey engines 
announced that the unloading process was in operation. 

After enjoying a cup of coffee, we took a boat and went ashore 



206 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

to see Larnaka. Having heard that General Luigi Palma 
di Cesnola, the ex-United States consul, was then making 
another collection of the antiquities found on the island, we 
visited his house and received a generous welcome from his 
brother. The distinguished excavator, we learned, had returned 
to America in June of 1876, since which time he had not vis- 
ited Cyprus. The collection which the brother was forming, 
though insignificant when compared with the one recently ac- 
quired from General di Cesnola by the Metropolitan Museum 
of New York, contained many valuable Phoenician, Greek, and 
Roman relics. They comprised bronze statuettes, coins, jewelry, 
pottery, and opal-like glass flagons of various designs. The 
Phoenician and Roman lamps, tear-bottles, and whistles which 
he then presented are now among the most valued pieces in 
our Levantine cabinets. 

The brothers Cesnola are Italians by birth, but Americans 
by adoption. General di Cesnola was educated in the Royal 
Military Academy at Turin, and served in the army of the 
United States during the late rebellion. At the close of the 
war he was appointed consul at Cyprus, where he devoted his 
leisure to excavating antiquities. The fragmentary history of 
Cyprus and his own accurate ethnologic theories formed the 
basis of research. Patiently and under many difficulties the 
work was steadily prosecuted during the winters between 1865 
and 1871, when the bulk of the New York collection was com- 
pleted. After visiting the United States in 1872, General di 
Cesnola again repaired to Cyprus and continued the excavations 
until 1876. The treasures unearthed in these later campaigns 
have been added to the collection now in the Metropolitan 
Museum ; but the lack of adequate space precludes the display 
of all these additional acquisitions, excepting the Phoenician, 
Grseco-Phcenician, and Archaic Greek pieces of alabaster, 
bronze, ceramics, and jewelry in gold and silver, as well as 
engraved gems of sard, rock crystal, and chalcedony. 









ALONG THE LEVANT. 207 

The history of Cyprus, though fragmentary and gathered 
from the chronicles of its various conquerors, is largely con- 
firmed by the objects which General di Cesnola's excavations 
have brought to light. Its successive conquests by various 
races are indelibly stamped upon the antiquities which the 
buried temples and tombs have now rendered up to the search- 
ing investigation of the nineteenth century. Cyprus is doubt- 
less the Chittim of the Bible, and its primaeval inhabitants were 
most likely the descendants of Japhet. The Phoenicians from 
the neighboring coast of Asia Minor were presumably the earli- 
est colonists of the island, and thence, in succession followed 
the supremacy of the Egyptians, Tyrians, Assyrians, Egyptians, 
Persians, Grecians, Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines, Templars, 
Crusaders, Egyptian Sultans, Genoese, and Venetians. The 
celebrated Caterina Cornaro, the wife of James II. Lusignan, 
after becoming his successor, formally, though reluctantly, ab- 
dicated the crown of Cyprus in favor of her native Republic 
of Venice in 1488. The homage of the Venetians tendered 
for this sacrifice, upon her return home, is depicted by Hans 
Makart in his great picture which graced the Centennial Ex- 
position. Finally, in 1571, the Sultan, Selim II., conquered 
the island, and thenceforward the Osmanli crescent continued 
supreme, until the coup cVetat of Lord Beaconsfield replaced it 
with the standard of Great Britain. 

The island of Cyprus is one hundred and forty-five miles 
long, with an extreme width of fifty-five miles, and a minimum 
of twenty-seven miles. Mythology claims that Venus was 
born of the foam of the sea off Paphos, on the southwestern 
coast. The anniversary of the nascence of the goddess is to 
this day celebrated by an annual fair at Larnaka, which is 
attended by people from every section of the island. Anciently 
this festival was noted for its immorality, young women not 
hesitating publicly to barter their virtue, and even supposing 
their presence on such occasions increased their chances of mar- 



208 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

riage. Thus originated the present application of the word 
Cyprian. The legendary connection of Venus with the island 
is associated with the statues and statuettes found in the tombs, 
as well as in the Golgos temple. 

Except the Church of St. Lazarus, where, it is said, Lazarus 
was buried, after having fled from the Jews, there is nothing 
of interest in Larnaka. The best native wine we could obtain 
proved an abomination, although it is claimed that good quali- 
ties are yet to be found. 

The sites which General di Cesnola has verified, and upon 
some of which his chief excavations were made, are those of the 
ancient cities of Idalium, Curium, Golgos, Citium, Amathunta, 
Salamis, Soli, Paphos, Ormidia, Poli, and Alambra. The 
great source of interest attached to the Cesnola collection, which 
has been excavated from these dead cities, lies in observing the 
comparative changes wrought in each branch of art by the suc- 
cessive masters of the island. In ceramics the period thus 
embraced is from B.C. 1500 to the fifth century of the Christian 
era. The sculpture includes an era equally remote, and traces 
the various modifications and progress down to the decadence 
of exalted Greek art during the supremacy of the Romans. 
The glass is principally of the Greek epoch, but specimens as 
early as the time of the Phoenicians are not wanting. The 
gold and silver jewelry and gems from Curium are prior to 
B.C. 700, the supposition being that the temple there was de- 
stroyed about that date. The material composing the statues 
is a calcareous stone, of which the supply in Cyprus is plentiful. 
General di Cesnola is confident that every piece was produced 
on the island, as he has discovered unfinished figures in the 
vicinity of the ancient quarries. 

A mere repetition of even portions of the catalogue of the 
New York collection would prove uninteresting to the general 
reader without the objects themselves for subsequent inspection; 
and therefore a brief mention of a few specimens must serve 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 209 

as examples of the entire display. Commencing at the earliest 
of the statuary, which is in life, heroic, and colossal sizes, we 
find the rigid outlines of an Egyptian king. The broad 
shoulders, the drapery, and the position of the feet, in all of 
the same origin, are unmistakable. Next a stiff effigy of a 
priest in a long robe, which displays a primitive handling of 
the drapery, together with the conventional curled beard, an- 
nounces the Assyrian period. The advent of Greek dominion 
is made evident by the perceptible stride in the sculptor's art. 
The Archaic develops into the exalted Greek, and we have the 
graceful drapery and classical lineaments of that period which 
is yet to be surpassed. Then follow those of Grseco-Roman 
and Roman extraction, carrying with them a noticeable decline. 
The goddess Venus, whose temple was at Golgos, is thought 
to be represented in some instances as embodying both sexes, 
or typical of the power of procreation. 

The glassware comprises a variety of forms which are now 
found imitated in every establishment of the world. A large 
proportion of them display an approach to iridescence that ren- 
ders them extremely attractive to the eye. There are plates, 
tear-bottles, ointment-cups, beads, rods, bottles, and jugs. The 
iridescence, if not original, is due to the chemical action of a 
contact with the damp earth for centuries ; or, to the absorp- 
. tion of the contents of the vessel when deposited. Articles of 
jewelry were also discovered in the tombs, consisting of rings, 
statuettes, necklaces, and other forms. The bronzes include 
small bass-reliefs, pateras, and other vessels. 

The array of four thousand vases of pottery of every con- 
ceivable design forms a conspicuous feature of the collection. 
Scarcely two are of like shape. Dark brown and purplish red 
are almost the only colors used in the ornamentation of these 
vessels. In nearly every case the decorations, as well as the 
form, determine the chronological period to which the piece 
belongs. A broad field for comparison is also found in the 



210 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

lamps of pottery. Those of Phoenician origin are easily dis- 
tinguished ; but it is more difficult to classify accurately the 
Greek and Roman examples. Alabastron vases, inscriptions, 
jewels, and ornaments for the person constitute the remainder 
of the collection. 

Having completed the unloading process, the Saturno left 
Larnaka at six in the evening on the 6th, and headed around 
to the western end of the island. No land was seen on the 7th, 
but early on the morning of the 8th the steamer came to anchor 
off the town of Rhodes, which is situated at the northern end 
of the island of the same name. The earliest writers mention 
Rhodes, and at several periods it figures prominently in history. 
Mythology attributes its creation to Apollo, who brought the 
island out of the waves. The ancient Rhodans were conspicu- 
ous for bravery, wealth, and the grandeur of their buildings ; 
in the last, according to Strabo, even rivalling those of Alex- 
andria and Rome. 

In mediaeval times Rhodes was celebrated as the residence 
of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who obtained posses- 
sion in 1308. This order was organized in Jerusalem soon 
after the Crusaders under Godfrey de Bouillon became masters 
of the city. Originally, the Knights were hospitallers to enter- 
tain pilgrims, but gradually they became involved in religious 
struggles, and finally embarked in politics. When- Saladin 
reduced the Holy City in 1187, the order was forced to leave, 
and for more than a century it apparently had no fixed base 
of operations. In 1308 the Knights settled at Rhodes, and 
erected a wall around the city. Here they continued until 
1522, when, after a well-resisted siege of four months, they 
were compelled to surrender to the Turkish Sultan, Suleiman 
the Magnificent. The terms of the capitulation gave them 
the privilege to leave the island with their property, which 
they did almost immediately. Thence they removed to Crete ; 
then to Sicily; and finally, after the remnant of the order had 



ALOSG THE LEVANT. 211 

drifted to Viterbo, in the Papal States, the Emperor Charles 
V. of Germany ceded to them the island of Malta. There, 
under the reign of John de la Talette, they founded the city 
of Valletta, and remained in possession of the island for more 
than two hundred and fifty years. After successfully repelling 
several attacks from the Turks, in the eighteenth century they 
lost many of their members by death in European States, until, 
in 1792, the hostility of France to the Knights developed 
itself in an edict declaring the order extinct. This was fol- 
lowed by an invasion under Napoleon, — then General Bona- 
parte, — which terminated in the overthrow of the knightly 
sovereignty forever. 

Within the present town of Khodes the Rue cles Chevaliers, 
or Street of the Knights, contains many of the old houses of 
the members, with armorial bearings carved on tablets set 
in the walls. Of the Church of St. John, which stood on the 
hill in the rear of the city, nothing remains but the tower and 
scattered blocks of stone, the explosion of a powder-magazine 
by lightning having demolished the structure in 1856. The 
Grand Hospital of the Knights has been restored, and is now 
used as a barrack. While going from the shore to the ship 
we passed through the entrance to the harbor, across which, it 
is said, the Colossus of Rhodes extended. Nothing now re- 
mains to locate this Wonder of the World. The Colossus was 
a Greek statue of the sun, a the work of Chares of Lindus, a 
statuary in bronze, and a favorite pupil of Lysippus." It was 
erected B.C. 280, and destroyed by an earthquake B.C. 224. 
Its height has been variously stated from ninety feet to one 
hundred and five cubits (one hundred and fifty-seven and one- 
half feet). A portion of the old stone mole still remains, but, 
being very small, its use is confined to the native boats. 

The two hours which the captain allowed at Rhodes having 
expired, we steamed away soon after eight in the forenoon. 
Passing close to Symi, where sponge-fishing is extensively fol- 



212 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

lowed, we continued on by Kos, Patmos, and Samos, reaching 
Scio very early on the morning of the 9th. The town is beau- 
tifully located on the slope of the hill, while surrounding it 
the bright verdure of the country completes the picturesque 
view. Scio, among other cities, claimed to be the birthplace 
of Homer, and, like several of the islands, it figured in the 
Greek, Persian, Koman, Genoese, and Turkish wars. Only 
as far back as 1822, the Sciotes joined the Samians in a revolt 
against the Turkish power, which resulted in the death of 
twenty- five thousand of the islanders, and the enslaving of 
forty-five thousand. 

The leading products of Scio are figs, and the gum mastic 
which is used in a sweetened form as chewing-gum. This 
article of export exudes from a species of the lentisk-tree, and 
is secured by making incisions in the bark during the month 
of August. The gum commences to drop within a day or two 
after the cutting, and at the end of a week it is sufficiently 
solidified to be refined. Throughout the Levant women use 
it as children do in America. Excepting a few houses of By- 
zantine and mediaeval designs, there is nothing worthy of note 
at Scio in the line of antiquities. At nine in the forenoon the 
Saturno was again under way, and, after threading her course 
among the many islands which here dot the Grecian Archi- 
pelago, she steamed into the Gulf of Smyrna, and at three 
in the afternoon anchored within the new mole before the 
city. 

Smyrna, like Villefranche, near Nice, is a favorite resort for 
the war-vessels of all nations on duty in the Mediterranean. 
At the time of our arrival, included in the fleet at anchor, were 
men-of-war of France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey, and 
the United States. The absence of the English was due to 
their presence in forbidden waters, where they will be noted 
later. The only American vessel in port was the Trenton. 
Admiral Leroy had shifted his flag and gone in the Alliance, 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 213 

together with the Marion, to meet General Grant on his arrival 
at Piraeus, the port of Athens. 

Smyrna, being the chief seaport of Asia Minor, is scarcely 
less cosmopolitan in its character than Alexandria, although 
the Greeks predominate. In a population of rather more than 
two hundred thousand, the Smyrniotes comprise nearly every 
nationality of Europe and the East, among whom many lan- 
guages are spoken. The chief articles of export are figs, 
raisins, sponges, Turkey rugs and carpets, silk, valonia, madder, 
cotton, and liquorice. Nearly or quite all of the figs sold in the 
United States are cured in Smyrna, whither they are brought 
from the various neighboring districts, such as Erbeyli, Keush- 
deresi, Xazli, and Omoorloo. 

The existence of Smyrna dates beyond historical records, 
and long before the Greeks landed in Asia Minor. It was 
probably named from the Amazon Smyrna, who early became 
its mistress. During succeeding ages the city suffered destruc- 
tion on ten occasions, yet it was invariably restored without 
diminishing its prosperity. The greater part of the present 
city is modern, and, like other Levantine places, it is divided 
into the Frank, Jewish, Turkish, Armenian, and other quarters. 
The bazaars are inferior to those of Cairo, Damascus, or Stani- 
boul ; and, excepting the remains of Greek and Byzantine 
Acropolis on Mount Pagus, there is little to attract the traveller. 
The railroad to Aiden passes close to the ruins of Ephesus, 
Magnesia, and Trales. The journey to and from any of these 
places can be accomplished in one day by the special trains 
provided for parties at an expense of ten pounds. 

Ephesus, one of the twelve cities of Ionia, was situated on 
the west coast of Asia Minor, near the mouth of the river 
Cayster. The city proper was built upon hills in the midst of 
a plain, while the great Temple of Diana, or Artemis, and its 
sacred precincts were on the plain itself, distant about half a 
mile. A portion of the site is now occupied by the miser- 



214 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

able village of Ayasolook. Justin attributes the founding of 
Ephesus to the mythical Amazons, who are supposed to have 
been the earliest priestesses of the Asiatic Diana. According 
to Strabo, on the other hand, the country was invaded in the 
eleventh century (about 1043) before Christ by Androclus, son 
of the Athenian king Codrus, who built the city and estab- 
lished Ionic supremacy. The Greek and Asiatic elements of 
the population were continually divided through struggles for 
the mastery, but the worship of Diana preserved its ascendency. 
Owing to veneration for the goddess, Ephesus was saved from 
conquest by the Cimmerians, and "Croesus raised a hopeful siege 
to propitiate the same deity. The Persians, under Cyrus, re- 
duced the city B.C. 544, and maintained their power until the 
defeat of Xerxes, at Salamis, when it was held tributary to 
Athens. Alexander the Great became its next master, and 
after his death it was acquired by Lysimachus, king of Thrace, 
as a result of his victory over Antigonus at Ipsus, B.C. 301. 
Among other arbitrary efforts to extend the control of the 
Hellenic element at Ephesus, this monarch changed its name 
to that of his wife, Arsinoe; but the yet powerful Asiatic 
influence soon restored the ancient appellation and customs, 
and the city grew in splendor. Upon the defeat of the Syrians 
under Antiochus the Great, the Romans installed Eumenes, 
king of Pergamus, as ruler of the city; but after the injurious 
reign of Attalus Philadelphia, his successor — Attalus Philo- 
mator — died without heirs, B.C. 133, and bequeathed his 
kingdom to the Roman people. Except for a short period, 
Ephesus remained subject to Rome until the Goths razed the 
city A.D. 262, a calamity from which it was restored shorn of 
much of its former grandeur. In A.D. 431, the third general 
council of the Christian church was convened there ; but under 
the Byzantine empire it declined into an unimportant town, and 
in the fourteenth century it was already approaching its present 
lamentable estate. Such then, briefly, was the rise and fall of 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 215 

" the Empress of Ionia, renowned Ephesus, famous for war 
and learning." 

The Temple of Diana, at Ephesus, was one of the Seven Won- 
ders of the World. Its earliest creation is involved in mystery, 
but the fragmentary traditions recount that the first structure 
was raised more than thirteen hundred years before Christ. It 
is also said that the temple was burnt seven times ; and the 
last erected, the eighth, was fired by the Goths in the third cen- 
tury of the Christian era, and finally destroyed by the Icono- 
clasts of the fourth. The statue of Diana which stood in the 
sanctuary was reputed by some to have fallen from Jupiter, 
and by others it was attributed to sculptors who were killed 
by the priests to conceal its human origin. Excluding all con- 
sideration of the early legendary fanes, we are told that the 
first historic temple was in course of construction at the time 
of the invasion of Croesus, the opulent king of Lydia, about 
the middle of the sixth century before Christ. The chief archi- 
tect was Ctesiphon, and the Asiatic States bore the burden of 
expense. Croesus spared the city because of its devotion to 
the goddess, and, after having laid the country under tribute, 
he presented to the temple some columns of exceeding richness, 
and cows of gold. This magnificent pile was fired by an ob- 
scure Ephesian called Herostratus, in B.C. 356, on the night 
when Alexander the Great was born at Pella. The sole motive 
of the incendiary was the fame which the momentous event 
would attach to his name. 

Immediately the people proceeded to rebuild the temple on a 
scale of unparalleled splendor. Such was the enthusiasm that 
the women even sold their ornaments to provide funds, and 
the neighboring kings contributed many columns. Dinocrates 
was the architect upon this occasion, and Scopas was among 
the sculptors for whose art the shrine was famous. Alexander 
the Great offered to bear the entire expense if his munificence 
should be perpetuated by an appropriate inscription, but the 



216 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Ephesians proudly declined the proffer upon the mollifying 
pretext that one deity should not create a temple in honor of 
another. Notwithstanding the ardor displayed, no less than 
two hundred and twenty years elapsed before the new fabric 
was completed. Architecturally it was regarded as the perfec- 
tion of the Ionic order, and everywhere it was considered the 
marvel of the age. Its dimensions were four hundred and 
twenty -five feet long, and two hundred and twenty feet wide. 
The roof was supported by one hundred and twenty-seven 
columns sixty feet in height, and thirty-six of the number 
were richly carved. The altar of the goddess was decorated 
with the works of the celebrated sculptor Praxiteles. 

During the time of St. Paul's ministry at Ephesus, A.D. 
55 and 56 (Acts xviii. and xix.), the devotion to Artemis was 
extremely fanatical, and it was not until long afterward that 
Christianity commenced to supplant the worship of the goddess. 
The temple was destroyed by the Goths and the Iconoclasts of 
the time of Constantine or Theodosius, as before stated ; and 
for centuries the ruin furnished stone for Constantinople, the 
Saracens, and the Italians of the middle ages. Finally, the 
deposit from the overflow of the river Cayster buried its last 
vestiges, and until 1859 antiquarians could only speculate upon 
its location. In the year named clues to the site were dis- 
covered by Mr. J. T. Wood, and in consequent excavations 
for the British Museum (1863-1874) he came upon inscrip- 
tions which denoted the direction of the object of his search. 
The remains were eventually reached, and upon examination 
they proved to be portions of more than one temple. Three 
distinct superimposed floors were exposed, and above the lowest 
were indications of a marble pavement, supposed to have been 
of the structure fired by Herostratus. The remains of that 
edifice were found sufficient to complete a satisfactory recon- 
struction of its plan. Mr. Wood gives its dimensions at the 
lowest step as four hundred and eighteen feet long, by two 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 217 

hundred and thirty-nine feet four and one-half inches wide. 
The number of exterior columns he places at one hundred, and 
their height fifty-six feet. They supported a roof covered with 
marble. The same energetic explorer has excavated the great 
theatre alluded to in the account of St. Paul's mission (Acts 
xix. 29), the odeum or music-hall, ancient walls, and other 
relics. A stadium, or course for games and races, six hundred 
and eighty-seven feet long, is also comprised in the ruins of the 
once sumptuous city. 

On the side of Mount Prion, at Ephesus, near the quarries 
which furnished the stone for the Temple of Diana, is the 
Grotto of the Seven Sleepers. This stalactite cave is a cleft in 
the rock which has an entrance with a width and height each 
of about ten feet. Gradually descending and rapidly contract- 
ing, it soon becomes a mere hole through which a man may 
squeeze for a distance of about one hundred feet. The en- 
trance displays evidence of having been walled up at some 
period, and inside there are excavations resembling tombs. 
The legend of the Seven Sleepers was first related by Gregory 
of Tours, at the close of the sixth century; but the adventure 
itself is alleged to have come to pass in the reign of either 
Decius (a.d. 249-251) or Diocletian (a.d. 233-304). The 
tradition recounts that during the persecution of the Christians 
at Ephesus, seven youths, with the dog Ketmehr, who chanced 
to follow them, took refuge in the cave where, it is sometimes 
stated, they were discovered and walled in to suffer starvation. 
Other accounts contain no reference to any enforced confine- 
ment beyond the fear of pursuers. Through some miraculous 
interposition they fell into a sleep which continued two hun- 
dred years. Upon awakening they were unconscious of having 
slept more than a single night, and one of the most discreet 
of their number was sent into the city to purchase provisious. 
Great was his amazement at the transformation he beheld. 
The persecuted cross boldly surmounted the churches; the 

15 



218 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

inhabitants were all strangers ; and the money he offered was 
obsolete. The people to whom the ancient coin was tendered, 
surmising that the young man had found a treasure, carried 
him before their prince for examination. When the miracle 
became understood, several men accompanied the youth to the 
cave and there conversed with his companions. After these 
transactions the seven again fell asleep and expired, whereupon 
they were buried in the grotto, and a chapel was erected over 
them to commemorate the mysterious dispensation. Moham- 
med adopted the tradition of the Seven Sleepers in the eigh- 
teenth Sura of the Koran, entitled " The Cave," with such 
alterations as suited his requirements, and hence the story is 
held in reverence alike by the Christians and Muslims of the 
Levant. 

During a blinding hail-storm, at ten on the morning of the 
10th, the Saturno left her berth beside the new quay to con- 
tinue the voyage. When close to the Trenton we ventured on 
deck in the vain hope of seeing familiar faces, and in spite of 
the storm a fellow-passenger was already there on the same 
errand. The gentleman proved to be Mr. James Maynard, 
son of his Excellency the Hon. Horace Maynard, United 
States Minister Resident at the Sublime Porte. About noon 
the weather cleared, which greatly increased the pleasure of 
the passage among the many islands clustered in this part of 
the ^Egean Sea. While at dinner, about 5.30, the rattle of 
the descending anchor announced our arrival at Mytilene, the 
Lesbos of the Greeks, 

" Where burning Sappho loved and sung," 

and where the JEolian school of lyric poetry found its earliest 
devotees. The town of Mytilene is located upon the eastern 
side of the island, and built directly on the shore. A small 
harbor is formed by two breakwaters with an opening in the 
centre. The remains of a Grecian amphitheatre are still on 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 219 

the hill back of the town, and in full view on a point to the 
north a Genoese castle is in an excellent state of preservation. 
The latitude of Mytilene is the highest in which oranges will 
ripen without recourse to hot-houses. We were again under 
steam at 8.30, with the waxing moon assisting to illuminate 
the grandeur of the archipelago. Promptly at six on the 
morning of the 11th the cabin-boy rapped to announce our 
approach to Tenedos, where the steamer halted for a short 
time. Almost directly opposite, after again starting, we passed 
close to the familiar Besika Bay. There, lying quietly at 
anchor, was a portion of the English fleet. 

Fronting on Besika Bay is the Troad, or Plain of Troy, and 
a few miles inland the supposed site of Ilium itself is located. 
Troy was situated on a small eminence near the foot of Mount 
Ida and about four miles from the seashore, or somewhere in 
the vicinity of the present Turkish village of Bounarbaski. 
We gather from Homer that the city stood at the head of a 
plain between the rivers Simois and Scamander. Unfortu- 
nately, the Plain of Troy — which is nine miles in length and 
three in width — is marked by several streamlets, of which 
at least three might answer for the Homeric Simois. Anti- 
quarians are in consequence divided on the question of topog- 
raphy, and the site of Ilium Vetus, or Old Troy, therefore 
remains undetermined. It seems to be agreed that the stream 
now called the Mendereh is identical with the ancient Scaman- 
der, but beyond this the want of unanimity is an evidence that 
the problem is yet to be solved. It has been established by 
general consent that the modern Hissarlik occupies the site 
of the city called Ilium Xovum, or Xew Ilium, which Strabo 
tells us was founded by an JEolian colony in the seventh cen- 
tury before Christ, — long after the Trojan war. Therefore, it 
becomes important to distinguish carefully between the city 
whose existence is based upon the traditions of the Trojan war, 
and the Ilium for which we have the testimony of history. 



220 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

After Old Troy succumbed to the Greeks under Agamemnon 
the city was entirely destroyed, and of the Trojans, iEneas 
and Antenor alone escaped with their families. Horace claims 
that all knowledge of original Troy has entirely disappeared, 
and the absence of ruins or other traces has led certain histo- 
rians to believe that the city was a mythical creation. The 
strong probability is, however, that the Iliad was woven from 
threads of actual events, although much of the elaboration is 
the license of poetic romance. Whatever may have been the 
basis of the immortal epic poem, it is decided that all the 
prominent features of Homer's geographical descriptions are 
realized in the Troad. 

Dr. Schliemann believes that he has discovered the site of 
Old Troy fifty feet below the level of modern Hissarlik. This 
would imply that New Ilium was built over the traditional 
city, and in support of this theory the excavator states that 
the ruins are in layers. Among other treasures he has un- 
earthed arms, ornaments, utensils, and vases of amber, gold, 
and silver. He also insists that the architectural remains ex- 
posed include those of Priam's palace and the walls of Nep- 
tune and Apollo, as well as fountains, inscriptions, and streets. 
Opposed to these sanguine conclusions are the opinions of 
many eminent Homeric scholars that Schliemann has chanced 
upon some Hunnic, Lydian, or Phoenician settlement. 

The earliest traditions regarding the Troad date from the 
arrival of the Thracian race in Phrygia Inferior, under the 
leadership of Scamander, about B.C. 1546. Teucer succeeded 
Scamander in 1502, and next, in 1480, Dardanus is said to 
have founded the city of Dardania. Erechthonius followed 
in 1449, and his successor, Tros, who reigned in 1374, entitled 
the city Troja or Troy. The succeeding king, II us, son of 
Tros, who ruled in 1314, renamed the city Ilium. In 1260 
the succession then devolved upon Laomedon, under whom 
the walls were erected. The Priam of Homer now comes 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 221 

upon the scene in 1224. Hecuba, his wife, gave birth to 
many children, and among the number was Paris, who, while 
on a mission to the Peloponnesus, carried off the famous Helen, 
the spouse of Menelaus. The abduction provoked the Trojan 
war, which continued for ten years, and resulted in the de- 
struction of Troy. The Greek armament is said to have con- 
sisted of eleven hundred and eighty-six ships and one hundred 
thousand men, the whole having been united under the supreme 
command of Agamemnon. So obscure is the entire history of 
Troy that the above chronology is accepted ouly in the absence 
of any other that appears more reliable. The exact age in 
which Homer flourished is a matter of dispute, but probability 
indicates the tenth century before Christ. Seven cities dis- 
puted the honor of his birth, and two islands — Cos and Cyprus 
— claim to be the place of his burial. His monument is the 
Iliad, — that sublime song which came forth before rhetoric and 
rules were known ; that deathless volume which scores have 
aped, but to which not one dared lay claim. 

About nine in the morning the steamer entered the Darda- 
nelles, or Hellespont, which is five and a half miles wide at 
the mouth. An hour and a half later we came to anchor at 
Chanakkalesi, or, as it is better known, the City of the Darda- 
nelles. There every in ward-bound craft must halt for pratique, 
or permission from the quarantine authorities to proceed. 
There also government boats came off and landed nearly all 
the recruits that composed the motley assemblage on the decks. 
The last two nights had been quite cold, and several of these 
half-clothed, famishing people were almost exhausted by the 
hardship they had endured. When we came on deck early on 
the morning of their departure the intelligence was made 
known that at least one was dying of cold and starvation. 
What ! dying on a ship which sailed under a Christian flag, 
and when the cabin-table offered so many courses that some 
were scarcely touched because of satiety ! It was only too 



222 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

true. The wretched man was lying close to the wet scupper, 
where his inhuman companions had thrust him from their 
midst to die. A thin muslin shirt and short nether garments 
of the same material comprised his entire clothing, while a 
piece of bagging was the only semblance of bed-covering 
which he possessed. The man had eaten but two pounds of 
bread in two days, and several others were scarcely better fed. 
The inanimate functionary who called himself the ship's 
doctor sat in his usual corner of the cabin, fed himself well, 
and made no move to alleviate the sufferings of the man prob- 
ably dying from want. Even those inclined to help were dis- 
couraged by repeated warnings that disease might be contracted 
among the throng. While watching a Syrian attempting to 
pour cold water into the mouth of the starving man, we deter- 
mined to render assistance. Climbing down to where he lay, 
the Syrian's action was quickly arrested, and after some per- 
suasion cognac was administered. Then, upon our bearing the 
expense, coffee and soup were forthcoming, and as the steamer 
approached the City of Dardanelles, the point for landing, the 
man revived. Now mark the character of the people, as 
evinced by the conclusion of the incident. The companions of 
the starving recruit declared that if he died it would be the 
result of the things the " accursed giaours" had given. 

While the ship was still lying at Dardanelles a sensation 
was created by the arrival of a steamer carrying the Russian 
flag, the first that had passed in since peace was declared. A 
short distance farther on is the site of ancient Abydos, and 
nearly opposite that of Sestos, the narrowest part of the Hel- 
lespont, and across which Leander " was nightly wont" to 
swim to his Hero. The width of the strait at this point is 
variously estimated, but about a mile and a half is a fair 
average. At two in the afternoon Gallipoli was reached, and 
lying there were two English iron-clads, as well as a double- 
turreted monitor, an iron gun-boat, and an old frigate flying 



ALONG THE LEVANT. 223 

Turkish colors. The town is of considerable size, but its chief 
importance arises from its position as the key to Constanti- 
nople, the Bosphorus, and the Black Sea. The strait is here 
rather more thau five miles in width, but just beyond the point 
on which Gallipoli is built the broad Sea of Marmora com- 
mences. Fortifications command the entrance on both sides. 
Knowing the strategic value of this position, the English 
government was positive in demanding that it should remain 
unoccupied by Russia. The entire length of the Dardanelles is 
about forty miles. 

Starting again at four we were immediately on the Sea of 
Marmora, and before dark the English iron-clad Agincourt 
passed under steam, — a most imposing war vesseL She has 
five masts and carries seventeen 12J-ton guns. The remaining 
iron-clads of the British fleet were at Prince's Bay, which is- 
within sight of Constantinople. Early the next morning, the 
12th, the minarets of the Turkish capital came in view, and 
as the Saturno approached closer and closer, the splendor of 
the vision increased. Nowhere does the world offer another 
such picture of grandeur in the approach to a city, and no 
traveller, as he views the magnificent site, can doubt that 
nature ordained it for a populous commercial centre. The 
anchor dropped in the Bosphorus, off the mouth of the Golden 
Horn, and our voyage was at an end. 



CHAPTER XII. 



TURKEY. 



Nothing could be more decided than the contrast between 
the exterior and interior aspects of the Turkish capital. Viewed 
from the Bosphorus on one side, or from the Sea of Marmora 
on the other, the panorama is of surpassing magnificence. 
When the city is once entered, whether it be in Pera, or 
Scutari, or Stamboul, the vision of beauty resolves itself into 
narrow, filthy streets, unattractive houses, and very untidy 
people. It may be acceptable to many readers to know the 
topography of the city, as it must seem somewhat complex to 
those who have not been over the ground. Accurately speak- 
ing, Constantinople is three distinct cities, — Stamboul, or Con- 
stantinople proper, Galata, and Scutari. Stamboul, which is 
the principal Turkish quarter, is built on the tongue of land 
between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmora. Galata, 
the Frank quarter, is on the opposite side of the Golden Horn 
from Stamboul, and faces the Bosphorus. Scutari is across the 
mouth of the Bosphorus, in Asia Minor, and faces both the 
above-mentioned European divisions of the city. The Golden 
Horn, which is an arm of the sea, is spanned by two floating 
bridges, which connect Stamboul and Galata. They are float- 
ing bridges because of the great depth of water in the Golden 
Horn, but both are arranged with draws to permit the passage 
of vessels. 

The subdivisions of Galata are as complicated as they seem 
unnecessary. Galata proper is that section which is at the base 
224 



TURKEY. 225 

of a steep hill, bordering directly on the Golden Horn and 
stretching along the Bosphorus until it joins the extension 
called Tophaneh. Pera is built on the upper part of the hill, 
and contains all the hotels, European stores, ambassadors' resi- 
dences, and consulates. The Seraglio, Seraskierat, bazaars, and 
all the great mosques are in Stamboul. On account of the 
very rough and narrow streets but few carriages are used, the 
chief aids to local transit being horses and sedan chairs. On 
the water the graceful caique is used for short distances, and 
the many swift steamers of the Shirket-i-Hairie Company for 
neighboring villages on the Bosphorus and Sea of Marmora. 
The caique is a craft almost as light as our " shells/' and, like 
them, it must be entered with caution. Passengers sit directly 
on the cushioned bottom of the caique, there being no seat 
excepting a low one for the oarsman. The caique is sharper 
at one end than at the other, and the oars between the row-lock 
and the hand resemble Indian clubs. The fare to cross the 
Golden Horn is one piastre, or about four cents. So great are 
the throngs on the two bridges that the passage is sometimes 
very tedious, and when the city is crowded a caique is a 
luxury. 

The junction of the Sea of Marmora with the Bosphorus 
and Golden Horn has been so grandly adapted by nature for 
a city that it is questionable if there is another such site on the 
globe. The climate, the rich country, and the surrounding 
world all conspire to strengthen this conclusion. That these 
wondrous natural advantages have not been utilized, is evident 
from an inspection of the various quarters of the city. In- 
stead of imposing places of business and the most exalted 
civilization, which should rightly be expected, there are hovels, 
foul alleys, and lingering superstition. It is impossible that 
a traveller from the West can be other than impressed with 
the sensation that Nature's lavish gifts are here most igno- 
miniously wasted. The very history of the city is but an 



226 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

illustration of its ordained greatness and vitality, as Phoenix- 
like it has again and again arisen from destruction. Founded 
by the Megarians under Byzas, in the latter half of the seventh 
century before Christ (about 656), the city received the name 
of Byzantium. Tradition ascribes the selection of the site to 
an utterance of the Delphic oracle. So rapidly did the place 
grow in importance that its possession was the cause'of con- 
tests by the Persians, Spartans, Athenians, and Macedonians. 
Previous to the incoming of the Christian era, it bowed to the 
sway of Rome. In a.d. 330 it was rebuilt by Constantine 
the Great, who made it his capital, and thenceforward it was 
called Constantinople. After the division of the Roman pos- 
sessions between the two sons of Theodosius, it continued to 
be the capital of the Eastern Empire. Under Justinian, A.D. 
527-565, Constantinople was greatly embellished, and its pros- 
perity increased. Among other structures, he built the Church 
of Santa Sophia, the House of Divine Wisdom, which was 
celebrated for its splendor. During the succeeding thousand 
years its history is but a repetition of sieges, destructions, and 
captures. According to the German historians, it has been 
attacked twenty-nine times, and on six occasions it succumbed 
to the assaults. The first siege took place B.C. 477, when 
Pausanias invested the city after the battle of Platsea. Finally, 
on May 29, 1453, the Turks, under Mohammed II., became 
permanent masters of the city, and inscribed on the sacred 
walls of Santa Sophia the Muslim creed : 

" There is no God but God, and Mohammed is His Prophet." 
The dynasty known as the Osmanli Sultans, the reigning 
family of Turkey, originated with a chieftain named Osman, 
who established himself at Brousa, near Mount Olympus, on 
the Sea of Marmora, early in the fourteenth century. With an 
almost phenomenal progress his successors, during a period of 
three hundred years, installed themselves at Constantinople 
and extended their conquests to the countries on the Danube, 



TURKEY. 227 

the Xile, and the Euphrates. Then followed a period of decay, 
during which the power of the empire has been rapidly re- 
duced to a condition which now threatens its autonomy in Asia 
and Africa, as well as its extinction in Europe. The eldest 
male of the Osmanli family, who may not be the reigning 
sultan's oldest son, is the heir to the throne. The ceremony 
of girding a sultan with the sword of Osman, the founder of 
the dynasty, is equivalent to the usual monarchical coronation. 
This rite is always performed in the Mosque of Eyoub, which 
is situated on the Stamboul side of the Golden Horn at a point 
where it joins the Sweet Waters of Europe. 

The term Sublime Porte, which has become the popular 
name of the empire, owes its origin to the principal entrance 
of the Seraglio. This Babi Humaioom, or Imperial Gate, is 
a grand pavilion-like structure with an entrance in the centre 
and a niche on each side. Until 1839, when Mahmoud II. 
died, the Seraglio was the residence of the sultan and the seat 
of government. Therefore, to communicate with the monarch 
or his cabinet, it was necessary to pass the Sublime Porte, and 
finally the title of the gateway became synonymous with the 
State. Xeither the sultan nor his cabinet now reside within 
the enclosure of the Seraglio, nor have they their offices there; 
but the appellation so thoroughly acquired is still retained. 
We noticed while in the office of the Minister of Foreign 
Affairs, whither we were sent by Minister Maynard for a 
special firman, that the government blank-books are all 
marked " Sublime Porte. " In the days of its glory the cele- 
brated gate was guarded by fifty porters, but now all such 
parade is at an end. The Turkish name of the city proper, 
Stamboul, is a corruption of the Greek, signifying " the city." 
Still another title is attached to the city, — that by which it is 
known in the rude Slavonic tongue, Czargrad. Such is the 
designation given by the Slavs to the metropolis which they 
believe will finally become the capital of their great united 



228 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

nation, extending from the Arctic and the Baltic to the more 
genial Sea of Marmora. 

The great mosques in Stamboul constitute a prominent 
feature among the sights of the capital. Naturally, the first 
which demands mention is the world-renowned Aya Sophiyah, 
or Santa Sophia, already alluded to in the preceding historical 
sketch. The original Christian edifice, which was built upon 
the present site by Constantine the Great, was enlarged by his 
son, and burnt in the reign of Arcadius. The present struc- 
ture was afterward erected by Justinian, upon an extended 
scale and with marvellous splendor. Its dimensions are two 
hundred and thirty-five feet by three hundred and fifty. The 
exterior is devoid of architectural beauty, although the addi- 
tion of four minarets by the Turks has somewhat improved 
the effect. Inside, the imposing grandeur of the design and 
ornamentation surpasses any description that a writer could 
offer. While prepared for unusual magnificence, our anticipa- 
tions were far short of the reality. A flattened central dome, 
two half domes, and three semicircular cupolas on each side 
unite to form the vast rising ceiling, whose highest point is 
one hundred and eighty feet from the ground. Forty windows 
extend around the lower part of the dome, and below them is 
a circular gallery. The old Christian mosaics and huge Mus- 
lim inscriptions cover the walls, and the pavement is of varie- 
gated marbles arranged in waves to imitate the sea. The 
absorbing feature of the internal decoration is the mystic 
number of one hundred and seven columns, which were desig- 
nated to uphold the House of Wisdom. While not attempting 
to detail their size and situation, it should be remarked that 
there are eight of porphyry from the Temple of the Sun at 
Baalbek ; eight of green granite from the Temple of Diana 
at Ephesus ; twenty-four of Egyptian granite ; several from 
the Temples of Pallas at Athens, Phoebus at Delos, and Cybele 
at Cyzicus ; and others of similar classic origin. Then scores 



TURKEY. 229 

of glass lamps and ostrich eggs are suspended from the vault, 
and lastly the mehrab, or niche, and the minbar, or pulpit, 
assist to complete an interior which once seen can never be for- 
gotten. At the time we visited Santa Sophia the rich marble 
floor was carefully covered, and hundreds of refugees, with 
their effects, were sheltered within its holy precincts. 

Others among the mosques of Stamboul are only second 
in interest to Santa Sophia. The holy shrine of Eyoub, the 
companion of the Prophet, who fell in the siege of Constanti- 
nople, has been adverted to as the mosque where the sultans 
are girded with the sword of Osman. Unbelievers are not 
permitted to enter this sanctuary, nor to live within a certain 
radius. The Mosque of Suleiman (Solomon) the Magnificent, 
or the Suleimanieh, is a masterpiece of Saracenic architecture. 
The plan of this Osmanli temple is similar to that of all the 
fourteen great mosques, which is equivalent to classing it as a 
modification of the design of Santa Sophia. The Suleimanieh, 
however, has the advantage of having been constructed as a 
mosque, and not altered to Mohammedan purposes from a 
Christian church, as was the case with Santa Sophia. It was 
commenced in 1550, by the sultan whose name it bears, and 
finished in 1555. In dimensions it is two hundred and five 
feet by two hundred and twenty-five, and it has four minarets. 
The interior lacks the mosaics and rare marbles which grace 
Justinian's fane, but it has four colossal monolithic historical 
columns and some exquisite stained-glass windows. The Su- 
leimanieh was crowded with troops, and during our visit 
several detachments were drilling. The men objected to our 
intrusion, — one officer in particular gesticulating violently, — 
but the softa, or priest, displayed the foreign department order 
which we had presented, whereupon the belligerent quickly 
subsided . 

The Mosque of Sultan Achmet, or the Achmedieh, differs 
from all others in Stamboul in having six minarets, only one 



230 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

less than the revered Ka'aba at Mecca. In fact, the Achme- 
dieh is the State mosque of Turkey, to which the sultan resorts 
for the celebration of the Muslim festivals. Its dimensions 
are two hundred and ten feet by two hundred and thirty-five. 
The most striking interior feature of this temple is four 
gigantic piers, thirty-six yards in circumference, which sup- 
port the dome. The vault rises by detached cupolas surround- 
ing the grand central dome upon the same principle as that of 
Santa Sophia. Next, the Mosque of the Sultan Mohammed II. 
is noticeable not only for its grandeur, but because it was 
intentionally built upon the site of the Church of the Holy 
Apostles, which contained the burial-place of the Byzantine 
emperors. Lastly, the Mosque of the Sultan Bayezid II. is 
generally visited by strangers to see the myriad of pigeons 
which haunt the court. They are popularly supposed to be 
the descendants of a single pair which Bayezid placed there, 
and hence are regarded as sacred. We duly fed the birds, but 
found them scarcely as tame as their brethren on the Piazza 
San Marco of Venice. Every Friday at this mosque there is 
a dole of bread to the dogs, and it is said hundreds of the 
canines report themselves, many of them being known to come 
from remote quarters. Distributed throughout the city in con- 
nection with the mosques, or sometimes entirely separate, are 
the turbehs, or stately tombs of the Osmanli family. They 
are all of the design of kiosques, built of various marbles, and 
richly ornamented on the exterior with carvings and arabesque 
coloring. The interiors are adorned with a profusion of inlaid 
mother-of-pearl and illuminated inscriptions from the Koran. 
The biers have about them costly embroidered velvet covers, 
rare shawls, jewelled turbans, and massive silver candlesticks. 
The most conspicuous of these imperial sepulchres are those of 
Mohammed II., Suleiman L, Selim II., and Mahmoud II. 
The late Abdul Aziz lies in the same turbeh with the last 
named, but in a less pretentious catafalque. 



TURKEY. 231 

The Seraglio is a triangular enclosure nearly three miles in 
circuit, situated on the tongue of land between the Sea of Mar- 
mora and the mouth of the Golden Horn. The view which 
it commands is of surpassing grandeur. Stamboul, the Golden 
Horn, the Sea of Marmora, Scutari, the Bosphorus, Galata, and 
the surrounding country are spread out in one fascinating pan- 
orama. On this celebrated spot ancient Byzantium stood, and 
until lately it was the residence of the Ottoman court. As 
before described, the Seraglio is entered by the Sublime. Porte. 
The interior court, within which the palace is located, is ap- 
proached through another portal called the Orta Kapoosi, or 
middle gate. The palace is surrounded by kiosques and other 
structures, all of which display the most lavish expenditure. 
Within the inner court is the chief object of interest for trav- 
ellers, — the Treasury. To enter this storehouse of riches, it is 
necessary to have a special firman from the Minister of For- 
eign Affairs, a favor seldom granted since the commencement 
of the late w r ar, but which we were fortunate in obtaining 
through the intercession of Minister Maynard. When we 
presented the firman for admission, no less than twenty-eight 
clerks from the offices were drawn up in two rows for us to 
pass through, and then following, they scattered as a guard 
within the building. The collection comprises the imperial 
jewels, chairs of state, clocks, inlaid armor, a carpet embroidered 
with pearls of all sizes, jewelled swords and helmets, a cradle 
covered with precious stones, a toilet-table of lapis lazuli set 
with innumerable diamonds, emeralds, carbuncles, and rubies, 
articles of coral and amber, saddles and bridles studded with 
gems and richly wrought, dishes full of uncut diamonds, to- 
pazes, emeralds, and other precious stones, and similar objects 
of concentrated wealth. There are emeralds which will out- 
measure a hen's egg, and pearls as large as an American silver 
dollar. One sword-hilt contains fifteen diamonds of a size 
uniformly as large as our present cent. What may be the 



232 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

value of the contents of the Treasury can only be a matter 
of conjecture; but it is certainly less than that of the Green 
Vaults of the Saxon kings at Dresden. In the item of dia- 
monds alone, the supremacy might be contested by those at 
Dresden and St. Petersburg, if not by the grand display in the 
Tower of London. 

In the same court as the Treasury is the Kafess, or Cage, 
an apartment in which aspiring imperial scions have frequently 
been confined. This room can only be entered by a lofty win- 
dow, thus precluding any chance for an occupant to elude his 
guards. As the right of succession to the throne belongs to 
the oldest male of the Osmanli family, which may exclude the 
son of a reigning sultan, it formerly caused the destruction of 
the children of the lateral branches. A sultan, by thus dis- 
posing of his nephews, would secure the succession to his own 
son, in case the latter was the junior of his cousins. 

The Seraglio also includes the Turkish Mint, the Museum 
of Antiquities, and the Armory. The last was formerly the 
Church of St. Irene, and within its sacred walls we saw, ar- 
ranged in racks, not less than ten thousand deadly American 
Peabody-Martigny rifles. The old wall which surrounds the 
Seraglio is a picturesque relic, as is also the long triple wall of 
Constantine, which, ruined as it is, still encircles Stamboul. 

The task of reviewing the sights of Constantinople might 
be extended greatly beyond our limits, and still leave much 
unwritten. There are the gorgeous palaces of Dolma-Bagtche, 
Tcheragan, and Beglerbey. Miles of cemeteries surround the 
city, with their quaint Turkish gravestones ; and we must not 
forget the resting-place of the English Crimean heroes over at 
Scutari, near the hospital where Florence Nightingale presided. 
The ancient Hippodrome, or At-Meidan, is now a public 
square in Stamboul, with its Egyptian obelisk, set up by The- 
odosius ; its lofty pillar of masonry, known as the Obelisk of 
Constantine Porphyrogenitus, and now stripped of its bronze 



TURKEY. 233 

covering; and the brazen Column of the Three Serpents, a 
relic brought from Delphi by Constantine, and much revered 
bv the Turks. The Burnt Column of Constantine is a shaft 
composed of nine blocks of porphyry upon which the Apollo 
of Phidias once stood, and which was shattered by a stroke of 
lightning. There is a Titanic subterranean cistern, built by 
Constantine, known as the Thousand and One Columns, which 
is now of use only to a few poor silk-twisters. The pic- 
turesque, partly-ruined castle of the Seven Towers stands far 
off at the southwest corner of Stamboul, on the Sea of Mar- 
mora, where the Venetians confined their state prisoners, and 
the Janissaries the sultans they had dethroned. The old 
Greek churches, with their flat domes and abused mosaics, 
attract the visitor's attention; as well as the many beautiful 
sebeels, or public fountains, of carved and gilded marble, at 
which the followers of the Prophet quench their thirst in lieu 
of the wine which is forbidden them by the Koran. The 
dancing or turning Dervishes have a public service on Friday, 
which gathers many spectators. The old Genoese tower at 
Galata, and the new Turkish tower of the Seraskierat, or War 
Department, afford superb views from their summits. In the 
labyrinth of bazaars of Stamboul every variety of tempting 
oriental merchandise meets the eye. The only " first-class 
theatre" is called the Concordia, where the spectators sit in 
boxes and smoke and drink while the concert and vaudeville 
are passing off; the intermissions being pleasantly filled in a 
room entirely public, where four roulette-tables and all the 
actresses in gay costumes are the attractions ! A curious col- 
lection is found in the Museum of the Costumes of the Janis- 
saries, those warlike, troublesome people whom the Sultan 
Mahmoud II. resolutely annihilated. The military display 
and outpouring of the people when the sultan goes in state to 
the appointed mosque for Friday prayers, the crowd on the 
two bridges over the Golden Horn, and the kaleidoscopic sur- 

16 



234 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

rounding groups of steamers, caiques, and other craft, all interest 
the traveller. The Friday festival or gathering of the people in 
the vale of the Sweet Waters of Europe, and the Greek funeral, 
wherein the open coffin is carried through the streets and Chris- 
tian bystanders all cross themselves — are unusual sights. 

Then there might be scores of sketches of the various types 
of life to be met on the streets. There is the dark-complex- 
ioned Greek back of the counter in the shops of Pera and 
Galata ; the Turk with his fez, short-cropped full beard, and 
set expression of countenance ; the hammal, or street porter, 
who bears upon his back such burdens that he must bend for- 
ward like Atlas ; the lynx-eyed denizen of the streets who has 
saddle-horses to hire at the corners, — beasts that frequently 
would do credit to a gentleman's stable ; the proud hawass, or 
messenger of an embassy, whose gold-braided costume, formi- 
dable pistols and scimetar, excite the envy of the plebeian ele- 
ment ; the ragged and repulsive beggar women and girls, who 
hesitate not to touch a pedestrian in their persistent efforts 
to extract alms ; the Turkish lady in her scrupulously plain 
black or purple gown and yashmak or gauze veil, which merely 
lends a charm to the face when she happens to be pretty, which 
is not rare ; the Greek monk, with his long beard and hair, 
sombre robe of black silk, and tall, stiff hat bearing a floating 
veil ; the passavend, or night-watchman, who patrols the streets 
in the small hours and strikes the pavement at short intervals 
with his iron-shod staff of office; and the faithful muezzin, 
whose cry is unending. 

" Hark ! from the mosque the nightly solemn sound, 
The Muezzin's call doth shake the minaret, 
There is no God but God ! — to prayer — lo ! God is great!" 

Then the scene is varied by the itinerant vendor of oriental 
sweetmeats, with his gayly-painted stand ; the forbidding Cir- 
cassian, with the breast of his coat bearing a line of small 



TURKEY. 235 

pouches filled with cartridges and extending from arm to arm ; 
the two patient, roughly-clad men bearing a Sedan chair, 
which has its curtains closely drawn to conceal the fair occu- 
pant ; the Turkish soldier, the Russian officer, and the Arme- 
nian priest ; and last, — but not the least conspicuous, — the ten 
thousand barking, fighting, ownerless dogs that infest every 
quarter of the city. 

Then the glorious trip up the Bosphorus demands, at least, 
a passing notice. The Bosphorus ! that renowned highway 
between the Propontis and the Euxine, where nature has been 
so lavish of her gifts, and which should be free to the world 
in connection with the Hellespont. Although but twenty 
miles long, its importance has not been overestimated by those 
who have at various epochs battled for its possession or privi- 
leges. From the moment the steamer leaves the New Bridge, 
at the mouth of the Golden Horn, until it nears the Sympleg- 
ades, or Cyanean rocks, at the entrance to the Black Sea, the 
panorama is of uninterrupted beauty. Galata, Tophaneh, and 
the palace of Dolma-Bagtche are quickly passed. Then Bebek 
is in view, together with the American institution called the 
Eobert College, which stands on the height. Next the attrac- 
tion is Roumeli Hissar, or the European Castle, built in 1451 
by Mohammed II., and designed to resemble the group of 
Arabic letters which compose the name of the Prophet. Op- 
posite the last, in Anatolia, stands Anadolou Hissar, or the 
Asiatic Castle. Beyond, on the European shore, are Therapia 
and Buyukdere, both favorite summer-resorts. On the Asiatic 
side, again, is the Giant's Mountain, which is the loftiest hill 
on the shores of the Bosphorus, and is not lacking in legends. 
Finally, at the entrance to the Black Sea, are the Symplegades, 
or rocks which the ancients supposed were mobile. Through 
these Jason safely guided the Argonauts, who were bent on 
the capture of the Golden Fleece. Beyond is the maritime 
highway to the Danube, Odessa, and the historic Crimea. 



236 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Evidences of the late war were not wanting throughout the 
city and its environs. Within the walls of Starnboul, as well 
as on the outside, the camps of the defeated troops were fre- 
quently seen. The men proved the hardships of the campaign 
by their visages and equipments. Each one was armed with 
the American breech-loading rifle, but the pieces all displayed 
a lack of care. Whenever we rode near their lines we were 
greeted with scowls and forbidden to enter. All the great 
mosques and other buildings which could be devoted to the 
purpose were filled with refugees and their goods, except the 
Suleimanieh, in which it has already been mentioned that 
troops were quartered. No less than one hundred and fifty 
thousand people from the interior were thus scattered through 
a city which is crowded to excess with only its regular popu- 
lation. These fugitives were utterly destitute, and the gov- 
ernment was unable to provide the proper support. The Red 
Crescent, Stafford House, and Lady Strangford relief corps 
were lending all the assistance possible, but the demands far 
exceeded their supplies. Every three or four days a steamer 
was despatched to the Asiatic provinces with fifteen hundred 
or two thousand of the unfortunates; but they were imme- 
diately replaced by double the number of arrivals. The Turk- 
ish national marine, including three or four large frigates, rode 
at anchor in the various waters about the city, but for some 
reason no movement was instituted to utilize them in the vital 
work of charity, although typhoid fever and smallpox raged 
as epidemics. No less than four hundred deaths occurred 
daily, and it was not uncommon to see corpses carried through 
Stamboul without coffins. Outside the walls, along the line 
of the great cemeteries, a score of bodies were borne past us 
for interment within a single hour, and not unfrequently on 
the same ride the carcasses of animals were seen. Groups of 
the many dogs that haunt the city were tearing the flesh from 
the carrion, and in one case a human being was engaged in the 



TURKEY. 237 

same revolting work. Within the city bread had become so 
scarce that an imperial firman forbade its transportation even 
to the surrounding country. 

In such a lamentable state of affairs it is not surprising that 
a feeling of disaffection should have existed toward the govern- 
ment. Placards were posted in the mosques, and anathemas 
frequently uttered against the administration of the Sultan, 
Abdul Hamid. A considerable party was also manoeuvring 
for the restoration of the ex-Sultan, Murad Effendi, who was 
dethroned on the allegation of insanity. The august prisoner, 
it was said, had been returned to the old Seraglio palace, 
whence he was removed some time previous to the late Abdul 
Aziz's superb palace of Dolma-Bagtche, on the Bosphorus. If 
the transfer actually occurred, it was probably a precautionary 
measure to lessen the chances of escape or rescue. The sudden 
death of Murad, as was the case with the deposed Abdul Aziz, 
would have caused little surprise; but happily subsequent 
events proved such suspicions to be unfounded. 

Hostilities having ceased but a short time previous to our 
arrival at Constantinople, the main body of the Russian forces 
was still at the little town on the Sea of Marmora, where their 
victorious arms dictated the preliminary treaty of peace. San 
Stefano is about thirty minutes by rail, and an hour and a half 
by steamer, from the capital. The picture of war was realized 
as soon as we landed at the quay. 

The place was strewn with bales of hay, camp equipage, 
boxes with ominous outlines, and a score or more of the ragged, 
war-worn veterans from the camps. Without the slightest 
prohibition we wandered among the tents of three or four 
regiments. The aspect of much of the camp was of a doleful 
character, and it was not uncommon to see men asleep in shelter 
tents with their feet extending into the mud outside. The 
arms and accoutrements bore evidences of the campaign hard- 
ships, while the clothing of the men was torn, patched, or 



238 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

bereft of the original colors. The quarters of the Imperial 
Guard presented a more sightly condition. The uniforms were 
in better repair, and the camp itself was a great improvement 
both in tents and surface-drainage. Everywhere the soldiers 
were most courteous, group after group standing in the attitude 
of salute as we walked past their tents. The Grand Duke 
Nicholas was in command at the San Stefano headquarters. He 
occupied a double three-story building, similar to many of our 
suburban residences, which faced on the piazza, or open square 
of the town, where the mud was rather more moderate. A 
Turkish graveyard opposite had been converted into a stable, 
and everywhere in the neighborhood booths were open to 
supply the soldiers with various comestibles and trinkets. 

While we stood on the square, intent on the panorama of 
war-life, the notes of a band playing a funeral march caused 
every one to hasten to the corner where the procession would 
pass. The shabby, veteran performers, with their battered 
musical instruments, preceded three Greek priests, w T ho were 
arrayed in their robes of bright blue and gilt. Then came the 
rectangular, plain wooden casket, with a pall of black velvet 
hung with bullion tassels. Lastly, following the dead, were 
a hundred or more officers. The cortege passed down to the 
quay, where the body w T as taken for shipment. There, among 
the officers in the group, we recognized the Grand Duke 
Nicholas, who remained until the coffin was placed on a small 
steamer. Upon inquiry it proved that the remains thus hon- 
ored were those of Prince Tcherkasky, who had been desig- 
nated to organize the new State of Bulgaria. Another body lay 
on the wharf, and a second steamer soon arrived. An officer, 
who had served with distinction throughout the entire deadly 
war, was drowned at night in crossing a stream, near Makri- 
keui, while carrying despatches. Side by side the two small 
funeral steamers preceded us through the Sea of Marmora, 
back to the mouth of the Golden Horn. There a Russian 



TURKEY. 239 

transport received the dead, and, with the victorious standard 
at half-mast, she at once steamed away along the Bosphorns 
bound for Odessa. 

The city was full of Russian officers, both in uniform and 
citizens' dress. In Pera and Galata they walked the streets 
freely, without insult. Possibly the treatment might have 
been different over in Stamboul, but good judgment prompted 
them to avoid that doubtful quarter. The hotels were crowded, 
and at the Byzance our table was surrounded by Russians. 
On one occasion General Skobelef, the hero of the war, came 
to dine, and afterward his father — also a general — was among 
the guests. The number of Russian troops in the vicinity of 
Constantinople was variously estimated in the absence of au- 
thentic knowledge ; but it would have probably been safe to 
say sixty thousand. 

The Mohammedan festival of the Mevlud, or anniversary 
of the Prophet's birthday, was celebrated between sunset on 
the 16th of March, and the same time on the 17th — the regu- 
lar Turkish day. On the evening of the 16th the minarets of 
the mosques were illuminated, and salutes tired from the forts 
and men-of-war. During the 17th a procession took place in 
Stamboul, which was witnessed by multitudes. The leading 
event of the Muslim calendar is the great Beiram, or close of 
the thirty days' fast of Ramadan, when Constantinople assumes 
its most brilliant aspect, and rejoicing is supreme. 

" "When Ramadan's last sun was set, 
And flashing from each minaret, 
Millions of lamps proclaimed the feast 
Of Beiram throughout the gorgeous East." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

GBEECE. 

In view of the epidemic at Constantinople it was a relief to 
see the city vanishing as the Austrian Lloyd steamer Aurora 
bore us across the Sea of Marmora. Inexpressibly grand, 
though, was the last picture which the place presented. It was 
just six in the afternoon when the steamer left her buoy in the 
Bosphorus, and looking toward Stamboul, the ethereal vault 
was a glowing mass of profusely rich, rosy tints. Outlined 
against this resplendent background the city, with its graceful 
minarets, the Seraglio, the thousand moving craft on the Golden 
Horn, were all blended in one sublime prospect which sug- 
gested a realization of a poetic dreamland. Then, on the op- 
posite side, at Scutari a myriad of window-panes flashed back 
the concentrated rays of the descending sun as if we were look- 
ing upon a city of fire. Beneath and about the Aurora, the 
renowned deep blue of the Levantine seas was intensified by 
the contrast with the delicate hue of the atmosphere, as if 
Neptune was joining Sol in the departing ovation which the 
sun-god was offering his sister through the ship which bore 
her name. Minister Maynard honored us by coming off in a 
caique with his gayly costumed kaivass to say good-by; and 
we parted from him with our hearts touched by the unaffected 
kindness which he and his household had extended during our 
stay at the Turkish capital. 

The next morning we cleared the Dardanelles, and during 
the day passed Tenedos, Mytilene, and Scio of the Sporades. 
240 



GREECE. 241 

After dark we approached the Cyclades, and steamed through 
the narrow strait between Andros and Tenos. The people of 
both these islands were compelled by Xerxes to serve against 
their countrymen in his attempt to reduce Athens; but, pre- 
vious to the battle of Salamis, the Tenians succeeded in convey- 
ing information to the Greeks which was effectively employed 
in the subsequent destruction of the Persian fleet. Both are 
large islands, — Andros being one of the largest of the Hellenic 
group, — but neither is of present commercial importance. A 
little past midnight the steamer anchored off Hermopolis, the 
chief port of Syra. This place is the leading shipping centre 
of its section of the Levant, the customs forming no incon- 
siderable item of revenue for the Greek government. The 
town of thirty-five thousand inhabitants is built on sloping 
ground, and, together with the partly land-locked harbor, it 
was indeed a pretty spot as we saw it, dotted with lights and 
beautified by the moon. Several of the Mediterranean steam- 
ship lines call at Syra, and a number of sailing vessels are 
always to be found at anchor. Wine and vegetables are the 
principal articles of export, although the island will now 
scarcely merit that line of the Odyssey which credits it with 
being " fertile in flocks, in herds, in wine, in corn/' Remains 
have been found of temples dedicated to Poseidon, or Xep- 
tune, and to his wife Amphitrite, the daughter of the Titans 
Ocean us and Tethys. 

A few miles east of Syra is Delos, an island much venerated 
by the ancient Greeks. Mythology ascribes its origin to Asteria, 
a daughter of Cceus and Phoebe, who, in order to escape from 
Zeus, or Jupiter, transformed herself into a quail, and then 
descending from the celestial regions into the sea, became a 
submarine rock. Neptune then struck the rock with his tri- 
dent, whereupon it rose to the surface as a floating island. 
When Latona came to abide there Jupiter chained it to the 
bottom of the sea, and upon it the goddess gave birth to Apollo 



242 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

and Diana. Delos was the seat of the Delian oracle, which 
was second in sanctity only to that of Delphi. It also gloried 
in a grand temple for the worship of Apollo, and in the festi- 
vals which were celebrated with great pomp in honor of that 
tutelary deity. 

Southeast of Delos is the island of Paros, whence came the 
celebrated Parian marble, which is now imitated by a clever 
composition for statuettes. The old marble quarries of Paros 
were in Mount Marpessa, but differed from most others in 
being underground, like our coal mines. At two in the morn- 
ing, an hour or more after the ship reached Syra, Ave were trans- 
ferred to a smaller steamer, called the Messina, which sailed at 
daylight. Heading between Ceos and Cythnos, we passed 
Cape Sunium, with its ruined temple of Minerva, and entered 
the Gulf of ^Egina soon after midday. Thence the course is 
on the eastern side of the islands of iEgina and Salamis up 
to the Piraeus, where we arrived at five in the afternoon. 

The Piraeus is a peninsula forming a natural harbor, which 
has been the port of Athens since the time of Themistocles. 
Although it is five miles from the capital, the hero of Salamis 
surrounded the entire peninsula with walls, which also ex- 
tended to Athens, and were known as the Long Walls. The 
harbor, though small, is well protected, and since the late war 
in the East it has been one of the favorite haunts of men-of- 
war. When we arrived the United States steamers Trenton 
and Alliance were among the fleet there. Upon landing the 
traveller employs either a carriage or the short railway to 
reach Athens. The former is the more pleasant mode, as the 
road is good and the view on approaching the city is very effec- 
tive. The Acropolis of our school days rises in majestic reality 
before the expectant eye, with its group of architectural monu- 
ments standing in impressive decay to bear witness to the 
storied greatness which has 

"Gone — glimmering through the dream of things that were." 



GREECE. 243 

Only those few readers who have closely followed the his- 
tory of Greece within the last fifty years can have a correct 
idea of the Athens of to-day. The traveller is generally taken 
by surprise when he enters it, as we were told happened with 
General Grant. Instead of the usual cluster of shabby, un- 
attractive houses and narrow streets, almost an entirely new 
city greets the stranger. A glance at the more recent events in 
Greece will explain this radical rejuvenation. Retracing the 
footsteps of time only as far back as 1770 — a brief epoch for 
Greece — we find the country a misused province of Turkey. In 
that year, aided by a fleet sent by Catherine the Great, of Russia, 
the ally of a common religion, the heroic Greeks commenced 
their struggles for liberty under the most doubtful auspices. 
The effort proved ineffectual, and in consequence the unfortu- 
nate people suffered great cruelties at the hands of the Porte. 
Crushed as they were, the Hellenes were resolved not to aban- 
don hopes for the future. Year after year the cause gained 
ground, led by such men as the poet Rhigas, a native of Thes- 
saly; and, after his patriotic death, by Coray of Scio, the 
friend of Napoleon. Finally, in 1821, the Archbishop of 
Patras proclaimed the revolution in the Peloponnesus, and the 
country rose in arms. A constitution was drafted by a Na- 
tional Congress, and the struggle resolutely continued. Twice 
at Missolonghi the heroic and successful defences attracted the 
attention of the world, and recalled the days of Thermopylae 
and Marathon. There, also, in 1824, Lord Byron sacrificed 
himself in the cause to which he was so devotedly attached. 
Again, at Karpenisi, in iEtolia, two thousand Greeks under 
Marco Bozzaris attacked fourteen thousand of the enemy, at 
night, and completely routed them, although at the expense of 
the life of the valiant Suliote chief. 

Thus the War of Independence progressed in a manner sim- 
ilar to our own Revolutionary struggle; inferior numbers, 
animated by the hope of liberty, contesting the possession of the 



244 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

country with a foe vastly superior in resources. Eventually, 
France, England, and Russia came to the rescue of the strug- 
gling patriots as they were about to be overwhelmed by the com- 
bined armaments of Turkey and Egypt. The last-named at that 
time was in a flourishing condition, under the energetic rule of 
Mohammed Ali. After an ineffectual parley in the interests 
of pacification, the allied fleet encountered the squadron of the 
Crescent on the 20th of October, 1827, in the bay of Navarino. 
That point is on the southwest coast of Morea, or the ancient 
Peloponnesus. The battle was fiercely contested, but the day 
ended with the almost complete destruction of the Turks. 
Rather than surrender their ships, one by one they were fired, 
and torn to pieces by the explosions of the magazines. Practi- 
cally, the result of that day was the independence of Greece, 
although it was not finally acknowledged by the Sublime 
Porte until the Treaty of Adrianople, in September, 1829. 

The close of the war found Greece under the provisional 
presidency of Count Capo d'Istria, of Corfu, who had been 
chosen in April, 1827, for a term of seven years. The allied 
powers decided to establish a Protectorate over the new State, 
and to call to the throne a scion of royalty. Prudential rea- 
sons caused Prince Paul, of Wurtemberg, and Prince Leopold, 
of Saxe-Coburg, — afterward King of Belgium, — to decline the 
proffered crown. In the meanwhile, a period of two years, 
Capo d'Istria continued in authority; but, becoming obnoxious, 
he was assassinated in the Church of St. Spiridion, at Nauplia, 
on October 9, 1831. His brother, Count Augustine Capo 
d'Istria, then ruled for a short period, but soon retired. 
Finally, after many impediments through political jealousies, 
the Protectorate agreed upon a king in the person of Prince 
Otho, a younger son of the King of Bavaria. King Otho 
was proclaimed August 30, 1832, but did not arrive at Nauplia 
until early in 1833. In 1835 the new monarch resisted the 
popular appeal for a constitutional government, which culmin- 



GREECE. 245 

ated, in 1843, in a peaceful assemblage of the people about his 
palace with matured plans to compel the royal approval of a 
representative charter. Rather than abdicate, the king ac- 
cepted the situation. During the remainder of his reign the 
country was repeatedly disturbed by insurrections, until on the 
19th of October, 1862, a revolution at Athens forced Otho to 
leave the State five days later. The Protectorate then named 
Prince William, second son of the King of Denmark and 
brother of the Princess of Wales, who ascended the throne as 
George I., King of the Hellenes, October 31, 1863. Subse- 
quently the youthful sovereign espoused the Grand Duchess 
Olo-a, daughter of the Grand Duke Constantine and niece of 
Alexander II., Czar of Russia. They now have four children, 
and both the king and queen are devotedly loved by a loyal 
people. Able, practical, and unassuming, the young monarch 
is deeply enlisted in the advancement of his adopted country. 

Although much has been accomplished, still greater progress 
would have been made but for the hampering, jealous differences 
of the Protectorate. The alliance has ceased to be beneficial, 
and its speedy dissolution would give a renewed impetus to the 
revival of Greece. To-day the people are a unit in demanding 
the emancipation of the Hellenes of Thessaly, Macedonia, and 
Crete ; but the hands of the king are tied by the commands of 
the Protectorate. These States are distinctively Greek, and the 
struggles now in progress are the patriotic efforts of an oppressed 
people to throw off the yoke of Turkey and join the modern 
free confederation. 

The form of government in Greece must commend itself to 
Americans as the most republican of all the monarchies of 
Europe. Xo hereditary titles of nobility exist except in the 
case of the king, and the ministry is directly responsible to 
the will of the deputies of the Legislative Assembly chosen by 
the ballots of the people. Although the constitution recog- 
nizes a union of church and state, still there is complete re- 



246 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ligious freedom guaranteed to all sects. After the close of the 
War of Independence, one of the first subjects of solicitude 
was that of education. Under the rule of the Turks no public 
Christian instruction existed, but now the University of Athens, 
a score of gymnasia, and a multitude of elementary schools 
afford every opportunity for knowledge. The release from 
the capricious tyranny of the Moslems has also tended to im- 
prove the moral character of the people. Now that falsehood 
and subtlety have ceased to be necessary for the preservation 
of property and position, the Greek will no longer be deserving 
of the reputation for which his nationality has been a popular 
synonyme. Such, then, have been the struggles of the ener- 
getic people who have reared beautiful modern Athens on the 
ashes of the mediaeval city, which was completely devastated 
during the revolution. 

No nationality of Europe can appeal to the sympathies of 
the United States more consistently than Greece, for the his- 
tory of one is the latest history of the other. The government 
and people, conscious of this tie, lose no opportunity to give 
expression to the friendship which is extended to our country. 
The story of General Grant's late visit is that of a continuous 
ovation, and after his departure the king and queen not only 
personally visited the Trenton and Alliance, but also enter- 
tained all the officers at the palace. Through the invitation 
of Commander Kane we spent a night on board the Alli- 
ance, and there saw many evidences of the partiality of our 
tars for the royal family. Having in view, then, these bonds 
of friendship and kindred history, and remembering that the 
struggles for Hellenic unity are not yet finished, is it the time 
for the United States to withdraw that moral support which 
exists in the presence of our minister ? First the rank of the 
American representative was reduced from minister resident 
to charge d'affaires, and now, through a failure to appropriate 
the salaries, Congress has abolished the mission. Under the 



GREECE. 247 

circumstances is it not something more than a question of the 
yearly expenditure of five thousand dollars? The near future 
of Greece must be brighter than the late past, and will we, 
then, of all nations, have no place among those who shall 
encourage these people in their efforts to attain a union similar 
to our own ? 

Nothing could have been more delightful than the change 
from the uncleanly oriental cities to our quarters on the beau- 
tiful park in bright modern Athens. The royal palace faces 
the square on one side, and the other three are occupied by 
hotels and handsome residences. The entire quarter thus in- 
cluded is on high ground, and if one part of this healthy city 
is healthier than another, it must be that about the palace. 
From the rooms at an angle of the Hotel Grande Bretagne 
the prospects and immediate surroundings are of no ordinary 
beauty and interest. The balcony which faces the east affords 
a view of the sharp cone of Lycabettus, and beyond of blue 
Pentelicus on the north, while looking east is a fine boulevard, 
with rows of trees, palatial residences, an equestrian path, a 
carriage road, and a broad footway. To the southeast from 
the same porch is the royal palace, a quadrangular limestone 
building, two hundred and eighty by three hundred feet, with 
a Doric portico of Pentelic marble. In the rear and on both 
sides of the palace are extensive gardens, to which free access 
is allowed every afternoon. Then from the southern balcony 
the palace is seen on the east, and in the distance is purple- 
hued Mount Hymettus, which gave to the ancients, and is still 
giving, the honey for which it is renowned. Directly below 
the balcony is the square, with its refreshing trees, beds of 
flowers, and inviting walks. At the opposite end from the 
palace, where Hermes Street joins the square, a band plays in 
a pavilion on certain days of the week. Looking over the 
houses to the south of the same eyrie are the famed Elysian 
Fields of Attica, from which the Champs Elysees of Paris 



248 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

take their name. Lastly, but most impressive of all, to the 
southwest rises the stately Acropolis, crowned with the temple 
of the " blue-eyed maid of heaven," and other living pages in 
the history of those who were 

" First in the race that led to Glory's goal." 

Every morning a band, accompanied by a detachment of 
soldiers, comes to the palace front, and plays for a half-hour 
or more; and late in the afternoon, when the bugles suddenly 
sound, the young king and queen drive past the hotel and 
into the palace-garden gate. Also long companies of troops 
pass and repass to the note of the bugle, showing great activity 
in military affairs. Lately several regiments have been uni- 
formed in the Albanian costume, presenting a curious array to 
the stranger. The dress consists of the drooping red fez, with 
tassel of blue, a fustanetta or kilt of many yards of starched, 
white muslin gathered at the waist, a short, braided, white 
woollen jacket, stout stockinets, dark-blue leggings, and red 
leather slippers, with the turned-up toes bearing a bushy 
woollen tuft of black. 

A few women may still be seen wearing the velvet jacket 
and long pendent fez with a great tassel of blue and gold, 
which is brought front over the shoulder and hangs down to 
the waist. We searched in vain for an ideal Byronic "Maid 
of Athens," and it must be confessed that the prettiest of the 
girls were those attired in imitation of Worth's latest decrees. 
However, Byron's genius is too magnetic for us to have omitted 
a search for traces of the maid who inspired his celebrated lay. 
As was expected, she is dead ; but died only as far back as 
1873. Her maiden name was Theresa Macri, which was 
changed by marriage to Mrs. Black, and the later years of her 
life were passed in penury. When in her palmy days the Maid 
is described as having had black or dark hair and eyes ; oval 
face ; rather pale complexion ; beautiful white teeth ; straight 



GREECE. 249 

and somewhat aquiline nose; and well-rounded cheeks. The 
description fails to cover an account of Theresa's figure, but 
it must have been faultless to have delighted the poet's ex- 
alted taste of the beautiful. 

The Acropolis, like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at 
Jerusalem, has that irresistible attraction which demands the 
traveller's first attention. Thinking to reach it on the east, 
we walked down the handsome street on which the palace gar- 
den fronts, and quickly found ourselves close to the fifteen tall 
Corinthian columns, which are all that remain standing of the 
Temple of Jupiter Olympius. One more lies prone upon the 
ground, just as it was thrown down by a storm in October, 1852. 
The various sections of this fallen shaft lap one another like 
a row of bricks which have been stood upright and thrown 
down for amusement. Originally there were one hundred 
and twenty-four of these massive columns in the peristyles and 
porticos, each measuring fifty-five and one-quarter feet to the 
top of the capitals, and six feet and four inches in diameter at 
the base. A portion of the architrave and the foundations of 
the Olympium still remain. When in its perfect state it was 
decastyle, dipteral, and hypsethral, which is to say, it had a 
front range of ten columns, was surrounded by a double col- 
onnade, — one row within the other, — and had no roof. The 
original length of the temple was three hundred and fifty- four 
feet, and the width one hundred and seventy-one feet. Al- 
though the Olympium was commenced by Pisistratus, B.C. 
530, it was left uncompleted for one hundred years, and after 
being continued under several reigns was finished by Hadrian. 
At that late date the worship of Jupiter had become fanciful 
and without reverence: 

A short distance to the west of the above temple is the Arch 
of Hadrian, which an inscription states was the dividing line 
beween the city of Theseus, or old Athens, and the city of 
Hadrian, or new Athens. The archway has a colonnade 

17 



250 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

above it; the whole measuring twenty feet wide and fifty- 
six feet high. This fabric is an indifferent specimen of the 
Corinthian order, and but for its historical significance it would 
be undeserving of notice. Approaching the base of the Acrop- 
olis, in the oldest part of the city, is the Choragic Monument 
of Lysicrates, probably better known as the Lantern of Demos- 
thenes. It is a circular structure about eight feet in diameter, 
set on a square base, and rising to a height of thirty-four feet. 
The special interest attached to this relic is that it is the oldest 
example of Corinthian architecture. 

Pursuing the walk westward, the base of the Acropolis is 
next reached. There, under the Cimonium, or southern wall, 
are the ruins of the Theatre of Dionysius, or Bacchus, the 
Odeum of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of JEsculapius, and 
other minor antiquities. The site of the Dionysiac Theatre is 
well adapted to the purpose, and was used for the representa- 
tion of the dramas of iEschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles 
before Lycurgus erected the present marble edifice. Like 
every Greek theatre, the one under consideration was open to 
the sky, and consisted of the orchestra, the auditorium, and the 
stage. 

The enclosure of the Acropolis is entered by a small gate 
near the southwest corner. A knock brings an old soldier, — 
the traditional sergeant, — whose eye scans the traveller sus- 
piciously, as if to discover his probable tendency to peculate 
antiques, or his propensity to bestow liberal gratuities. The 
path thence leads to the great flight of steps extending upward 
to the Propylsea. This imposing gateway is of Pentelic 
marble, and extends across the western front of the Acropolis, 
a distance of one hundred and seventy feet. It consists of a 
central portico with five entrances, and projecting wings on the 
two ends. The superb Doric columns and perfect proportions 
of this building are not excelled in ancient or modern archi- 
tecture. The north wing was the Pinacotheca, or picture- 






GREECE. 251 

gallery, which was partially balanced on the south side by the 
small but beautiful Temple of Nike Apteros, or Wingless Vic- 
tory. Passing through the central entrance, or carriage-way, 
of the Propylsea, the main platform of the Acropolis is reached. 
The guide here points out the commanding site which the gold 
and ivory colossal statue of Minerva once occupied. Next to 
the statue of Jupiter at Olympia, this one of Minerva was the 
greatest of the works of Phidias and of antiquity. From this 
spot the eye instinctively surveys the extent of the Acropolis; 
and before proceeding it will be opportune to give some idea 
of its outlines. 

Starting from the plane of the city, a steep hill rises to the 
level from which an almost perpendicular rock extends to a 
total height of about three hundred feet. The summit is un- 
even and of irregular form, the greatest length being eleven 
hundred feet, and width four hundred and fifty feet. All of 
this area is enclosed in stone walls built to meet the many 
inequalities of the rock. Situated in the plain of Attica, the 
views from this commanding eminence are of a character to 
excite the enthusiasm alike of the poet, the scholar, and the 
lover of nature. Almost every page in the history of Greece 
is recalled by the localities comprised in this range of vision. 
The Bay of Phalerum and the Piraeus; iEgina and Salamis; 
the rivers Ilissus and Cephissus ; the Via Sacra and the Phyle 
Road; the Defile of Daphne and the Elysian Fields; Mounts 
Pentelicus and Hymettus ; the city of Athens and the town of 
the Piraeus; the Museum Hill, with its monument of Philopap- 
pus, and the mount of Lycabettus, with its chapel ; the Pnyx, 
with the Bema, and the broken rock of the Areopagus ; the 
traditional prison of Socrates and the stately columns of Jupi- 
ter Olympius ; the Theseum and the terminal wall of the Pan- 
athenaic Stadium — are to be remembered in the enumeration. 

But to return to the Acropolis itself. As we stand upon 
the spot once occupied by the Palladium, the first thought is 



252 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of the Parthenon, or Virgin's House, which is within a few 
steps. Though time has dealt more kindly than war with this 
most renowned of all temples, still it remains the perfection of 
symmetry blended with exalted simplicity. Throughout it 
is of the purest Doric order, and measures two hundred and 
twenty-eight feet by one hundred and one, with an elevation 
of sixty-six feet to the top of the pediment. In design it con- 
sists of a portico of eight columns at each end, and seventeen 
on each side. Within the peristyle is a walk of nine feet on 
the sides, and eleven feet at the ends, before the wall of the 
cella commences. The interior was divided into two unequal 
parts by a wall, and the roof was composed of tiles of Parian 
marble. The inner walls of the cella were adorned with 
paintings, while on the outside the pediments were ornate with 
sculptures, and the metopes of the frieze were enriched with 
groups in high relief. The architraves also bore shields of 
gilded bronze. The Parthenon was dedicated to the worship 
of Athena, or the Koman Minerva, the tutelary goddess of 
Athens, who was not born of woman, but came forth from the 
head of Jupiter, equipped as her statues represent her. 

"When Vulcan's steely axe, with forceful art, 
Had rived the Father's topmost brow apart, 
Upwards with monstrous shout Minerva sprang, 
And Heaven and Mother Earth in shuddering horror rang." 

Directly opposite the Parthenon stands the small but beau- 
tiful temple known as the Erechtheum. Erechtheus, or Erich- 
thonius, after whom this sanctuary was named, was the son of 
Hephsestus, or Vulcan. During his childhood, through the 
request of Athena, he was committed to the care of Pandrosos 
and two other daughters of Cecrops, first king of Attica. The 
former alone fulfilled her trust. In manhood Erechtheus be- 
came king of Athens by overthrowing Amphictyon, and after 
the hero's death he was regarded as a divinity. Although the 



GREECE. 253 

temple under consideration was the sepulchre of Erechtheus, it 
was not devoted exclusively to his worship. Within it was a 
sanctuary to Athena Polias, or the protectress of the city, 
which contained a statue of the goddess, believed to have 
fallen from heaven. The sacred olive-tree, which had come 
forth from the earth at her command, was also in this temple. 
Another division was called the Pandroseum, after Pandrosos, 
and still another the Cecropium, or tomb of Cecrops. The 
well of salt water which Poseidon, or Neptune, created by a 
stroke of his trident was also located within the fane, and held 
in veneration by the Athenians. 

The design of the Erechtheum differs from all other Greek 
temples. Instead of a rectangular building with a pronaos at the 
eastern and the western ends, the Erechtheum has a portico on 
the east and one each on the western end of the north and south 
sides. This temple is one of the chastest specimens of the 
Ionic order now extant, thus forming a contrast with its stately 
Doric neighbor, the Parthenon. The special feature of archi- 
tectural interest in the Erechtheum is the celebrated Caryatid 
portico, on the south. The roof o_f this gem is upheld by six 
Caryatides, or columns, representing young women in long 
drapery. Only four of the original figures now remain ; one 
of the other two having been removed to the British Mu- 
seum, and the last has been restored to a degree which 
changes its identity. The Parthenon, the Propylaea, and the 
Erechtheum were the principal structures within the enclosure 
of the Acropolis, but the remains of lesser ones are still visible; 
in fact, the entire surface is strewn with blocks of marble and 
broken columns. An excavation in the southeast corner was 
declared by our guide to be the atelier of Phidias, and in con- 
firmation of the statement he pointed to the myriads of marble 
chips which were imbedded in the surrounding accumulation 
of soil. 

Descending from the Acropolis on the west, the traveller 



254 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

may buy a miniature truncated pyramid, composed of the 
various Greek marbles, and then commence the tour of the 
neighboring relics. First is the Areopagus, or Mars Hill, 
now a fractured rock, where Athena established the high 
court and gave the law to the Athenians, and where St. Paul 
revealed to the idolatrous people the worthlessness of their 
graven images. Next is the Pnyx, or open amphitheatrical 
place of assemblage, with its Bema, or rocky platform, from 
which Demosthenes, Pericles, Solon, and other leaders addressed 
their countrymen. Then comes the Theseum, the most perfect 
of all Grecian remains, — a temple which imitated and rivalled 
the Parthenon in Doric symmetry, and which was dedicated to 
the fabulous hero, Theseus, who emulated his friend Hercules 
in feats of strength. The Keramicus is the quarter of the 
original Greek potters, near which an ancient cemetery has 
recently been discovered, containing many interesting monu- 
ments. The Horologium of Andronicus Cyrrhestes, the as- 
tronomer, — also called the Tower of the Winds, — recorded 
time by a sun-dial on the outside and by a clepsydra on the 
inside. Then around on the eastern side of the city, by the 
diminutive river Ilissus, are the ruins of the stupendous marble 
Panathenaic Stadium, a roofless amphitheatre, which seated 
fifty thousand persons to witness the games which marked the 
festival in honor of Minerva in the third year of every Olym- 
piad, or period of four years. Minor relics, classical hills, 
and quaint mediaeval Byzantine churches are also to be seen to 
complete the list. 

Lastly, the excursions in the vicinity of the city are of great 
interest. We drove to Mount Pentelicus guarded by five 
Greek cavalrymen with a sergeant, all of whom by their 
equipment and demeanor were thorough soldiers. The Charge" 
d ? Affaires had advised the War Department of the pro- 
posed expedition, and to prevent any chance trouble in the 
disturbed country we were thus escorted without cost. Mount 



GREECE. 255 

Pentelicus is the seat of the marble quarries from which the 
Greeks built their temples, and carved the statuary which now 
graces the Vatican and the Capitol. A beautiful stalactite and 
stalagmite grotto is seen about midway to the summit. A 
grand view is always inspiring, and truly so are the glimpses 
of Attica and Euboea and the Euripus from the summit of 
Pentelicus. Byron says, — 

"The mountains look on Marathon — 
And Marathon looks on the sea ; 
And musing there an hour alone, 

I dream'd that Greece might still be free ; 
For standing on the Persians' grave, 
I could not deem myself a slave." 

Pentelicus still looks down on the battle-field of Marathon, 
where ten thousand Greeks drove one hundred thousand Per- 
sians to their ships. And three years after the poet of the 
century had become a martyr in the cause, his dream of liberty 
for Greece was realized after Marathon was repeated at Mis- 
solonghi, the scene of his death. 

The trip to Eleusis is another pleasant drive. Eleusis once 
rivalled Athens, and attained celebrity through its temple to 
Demeter (Ceres), the goddess of agriculture. Persephone, the 
daughter of Zeus (Jupiter) and Demeter, was once carried off 
by Hades, with the consent of Zeus, which so incensed' the 
mother that she withdrew from Olympus and dwelt among 
mortals at Eleusis. Circumstances which occurred during this 
residence of the goddess at Eleusis gave rise to the ceremonies 
of the Eleusinian mysteries. This festival lasted eleven days, 
on one of which there was a great procession of the initiated, 
which passed from the Keramicus to Eleusis along the Via 
Sacra. The road is still in existence, and continues to bear its 
ancient name. It extends through the Defile of Daphne, and 
thence around the bay of Eleusis to the modern village. The 



256 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Temple of Ceres is so badly ruined as to be of little interest, 
scarcely any two stones standing on each other. The harbor 
is well adapted by nature for a port. From an eminence near 
the village a glimpse of the island and bay of Salamis may be 
had. The guide even located the spot where Xerxes 

" Sate on the rocky brow 

Which looks o'er sea-born Salamis ; 
And ships, by thousands, lay below, 

And men in nations ; — all were his ! 
He counted them at break of day — 
And when the sun set, where were they?" 

The Hellenes, like the Russians and other nationalities pro- 
fessing the Greek religion, still employ the Old Style calendar; 
but strangers seldom depart from the New Style. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



SICILY. 



The harbor of the Piraeus was aglow with phosphorescent 
light, on the night of the 4th of April, when we boarded the 
Italian Florio steamer Etna to make the voyage from Greece 
to Sicily. Every stroke of the oars dipped up the glowing 
liquid, making it seem as if all beneath the surface was a latent 
fire. When, at ten o'clock, the propeller of the steamer lashed 
the water in its first movements, we all gathered to witness the 
brilliant effect. So we steamed away past the rocky tomb of 
Themistocles, and within sight of the Salamis of his glory. 
Early the next morning we reached Syra, the Levantine 
entrepot, which gave us an opportunity to see the pretty town 
by daylight. Two weeks previous we had viewed it under 
the softening influence of the moon, but it suffered little 
or nothing by the glare of the sun. The large Florio steamer 
Panormos was waiting for the Etna, and we were at once 
transferred. Panormos was the ancient name of Palermo, 
the capital of Sicily. A Stockholm newspaper correspondent 
from Constantinople and ourselves were the only first-cabin 
passengers. The Panormos had come from Odessa, where she 
had received a large cargo of grain to be delivered at Mar- 
seilles. While the fares on the Florio line are as high as 
those on the Messageries Maritimes and Austrian Lloyd, the 
table and attendance are scarcely as good. This is probably 
the result of expecting fewer passengers, as there can be no 
other reason for the inferiority. The Panormos and others of 

257 



258 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the FJorio Company are large Clyde-built steamers; and at no 
time did we feel more secure from the dangers of the sea than 
when under the Italian flag. 

Leaving Syra at eleven on the morning of the 5th and head- 
ing for Sicily, the island of Crete and Cape Malea, of Greece, 
were sighted just before dark. During the night Capes Mata- 
pan and Gallo were passed, and the next day we were off the 
Adriatic. About nine in the forenoon of the 7th Cape Santa 
Croce, on the eastern coast of Sicily, was in view, and by noon 
the steamer anchored off Catania. As our destination was 
Palermo, we hurried ashore to see the city in the few hours 
that were allowed there. The port of Catania is small and 
shallow, allowing large craft to come barely within the break- 
water. The latter is composed of huge blocks of the lava 
which is abundant in the vicinity. In fact, the name Catania 
is derived from the situation of the city " under Etna." The 
place was settled by a Greek colony not later than the latter 
part of the eighth century before Christ, but since that time it 
has been repeatedly destroyed by the eruptions of the volcano. 
During its extended history the city fell by turns under the 
power of the many nations and houses of royalty that came 
in possession of Sicily through conquest or crown jugglery. 
It has now a population of about seventy-five thousand, and, 
considering its proximity to such rivals as Messina and Pa- 
lermo, it is an active city. The principal thoroughfares — the 
Strada Garibaldi, the Corso, and the Strada Etna — are all 
straight and bordered with many fine buildings. 

A characteristic of Catania, and also of the entire island, 
is the large number of people claiming titles of nobility. 
These pretenders are often met on the promenade or drive, and 
their mien is very amusing. As a rule, they are an idle, 
frivolous, unlettered class, given to dress and strained ostenta- 
tion. Generally, their purses are as shallow as their nobility, 
and this impecuniosity necessitates the most pinching economy 



sicily. 259 

at home to permit the coveted appearance on the street. The 
young man devotes his scanty mind to a suit of clothes and 
the immaculate kid gloves, without which he would never stir 
from his elevated apartments. The lady aristocrats are happy 
only when in possession of a carriage and pair; and being 
ensconced in the former they affect the bearing which betrays 
a determination to realize an amount of glory commensurate 
with the struggle or sacrifice they have endured. The differ- 
ence between the affected and genuine ease of manner of the 
fair occupant of a carriage is often the difference between 
affected and genuine aristocracy. 

The sights of Catania, of course, include the inevitable vast 
Italian Duomo, or cathedral, with its overloaded facade, pro- 
fusion of mosaics, pauper- women devotees, and several marble 
or wax Madonnas of uncleanly aspect. Every soiled and tin- 
selled altar has above it a painting which is rarely seen except 
when a traveller fees the cadaverous, white-frocked acolyte to 
pull aside the curtain. The cathedral in question is sacred to 
the tutelar St. Agatha, a young and beautiful Catanian martyr, 
whose breasts were torn out by pincers because she refused 
the impure advances of the Roman Praetor Quintianus. On 
the night of the cruel deed St. Peter miraculously restored her 
beauty, whereupon the baffled Roman ordered her to the stake. 
When the fire was kindled an earthquake shook the city, 
and the affrighted praetor, in taking flight, was drowned in a 
river. Finding it impossible to reduce the young woman to a 
cinder on account of some celestial protection, she was thrown 
into the now Holy Prison, where death was granted in com- 
pliance with her prayer. Standing on the Piazza della Sratua, 
which overlooks the sea, is a tall granite column bearing a 
colossal marble effigy of St. Agatha, and the corporal's guard 
of mendicant women who daily haunt the churches implicitly 
credit her divinity. In addition to the cathedral, there are 
one hundred and three churches in Catania; but as we omitted 



260 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

to visit them a description is fortunately impossible. It cannot 
be denied that the ordinary churches become rather monoto- 
nous, especially those of Italy, where bad odors, beggars, and 
clerical greed outweigh a satiety of mosaics, pictures in places 
too dark to be seen, and "eleven tons of solid silver arch- 
bishops in the back room." Yerily, King Humbert, there is 
room for much more governmental expropriation which will be 
a benefit to the Church itself. The speed of a ship encumbered 
with barnacles is always retarded. 

One of the most interesting objects in Catania is the Foun- 
tain of the Elephant, which stands on the Piazza del Duomo. 
The elephant is the device or arms of the city, but the rea- 
son of its adoption is unknown. The fountain consists of a 
large basin with a square pedestal in the centre. The latter 
bears reliefs representing the streams Amenano and Simeto as 
river gods, with water pouring from the urns they hold. An 
elephant of lava, rather smaller than life, stands on the pedes- 
tal, and bears on his back a marble howdah. An antique 
octagonal shaft of red granite, twelve feet high, surmounts the 
howdah, and is crowned with a ball and cross, thus completing 
a most unique combination. The shaft, which is miscalled an 
obelisk, is alleged to be of Egyptian origin ; but the claim is 
of very doubtful authenticity. The remains of a Greek and 
a Roman amphitheatre are still extant at Catania, but both are 
so nearly covered with lava as to be of little interest. 

North of Catania, and in full view on a clear day, Mount 
Etna rises in all its majesty. The Sicilians speak of it as Mon- 
gibello, which signifies the "mountain of mountains," a desig- 
nation which its outlines readily suggest. While the exact 
altitude is changed by the depression or elevation of the cone 
resulting from an eruption, it reaches nearly eleven thousand 
feet. Following the roads around the lower slopes, the circum- 
ference is called ninety-three miles ; but the sinuous paths and 
the inequalities of the surface must render this measurement 



SICILY. 261 

somewhat inexact. Torrents of rugged lava and desolate tracts 
are scattered over the great slopes, but in the Piedimontana, or 
lowest zone, much of the volcanic soil becomes highly fertile by 
cultivation. The second, or woody region, is marked by forests, 
flowers, and game. Higher up again, or in the desert region, — 
six thousand three hundred feet above the sea, — is a great ex- 
panse of lava and ashes, with only an occasional stunted plant in 
the lower parts. Finally, the loftiest zone is a section of per- 
petual snow, with possibly an isolated exposed tract during the 
summer. Approaching the summit of the mountain, there 
are no less than eighty lateral cones, each a volcano in itself 
of no inconsiderable size. The grand crater of Etna varies 
largely according to the accumulation or crumbling of the vol- 
canic discharge. Its circumference has been as great as six 
miles, and as little as four hundred and ninety-three yards ; 
but a fair average is stated to be two and a half miles. Some- 
times the chasm is of great depth, and again the lava may 
reach within a few feet of the uppermost edge. As the slope 
of the mountain is gradual, and the peak rises far above all 
neighboring elevations, the effect is impressive in the extreme. 
The first recorded eruption of Etna dates from the sixth 
century before Christ, and since then the list is too extended to 
invite detail. It was last in a state of activity early in the 
summer of the present year (1879), of which event the follow- 
ing was the initial bulletin : 

" Messina, May 29. 

" The volcano of Mount Etna is in full eruption. Three 
new craters have appeared near the town of Kandazza, at the 
northwest foot of the mountain. Streams of lava are flowing 
down the western slope. Several villages are threatened with 
destruction, and there is great alarm among the inhabitants. 
The volcano presents a very imposing spectacle." 

Steaming northward from Catania, the first place of any 
importance is Aci Reale, a town of twenty-five thousand 



262 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

inhabitants, and built on streams of lava which have flowed 
from the volcano into the sea. Fable names Aci Reale as the 
site of the story in the Odyssey which recounts the love of the 
chief of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, for the nymph Galatea. 
He lived in a cave of Mount Etna, and fed his flocks upon 
the mountain sides. The nymph refused his love, and favored 
Acis, the son of Faunus, god of the shepherds. Polyphemus, 
enraged by jealousy, crushed his rival with a rock. The grief 
of Galatea was so intense that she changed her dead swain into 
a streamlet, which afterward bore his name. When Ulysses 
and his twelve companions visited Sicily and entered the cave 
of the Cyclops, Polyphemus commenced devouring them. 
After eating six, the rest were made prisoners for future ban- 
quets; but Ulysses succeeded in destroying the giant's single 
eye, and the monster being no longer able to see them, they 
effected their escape. Neptune, the father of Polyphemus, 
being incensed by his son's mutilation, vindictively pur- 
sued Ulysses with misfortunes. After leaving Troy, the hero 
was driven from sea to sea for twenty years, and even then 
it was only through the appeal of Athena to Zeus that he was 
allowed to return to his beloved Ithaca. 

The next town of note on the route northward is Taormina, 
the degenerate modern substitute for Tauromenium. The place 
is visited by travellers to see the well-preserved ruins of a Greek 
or Roman theatre capable of seating forty thousand persons, the 
remains of an immense Roman reservoir of masonry, and the 
Acropolis, with its Saracenic castle. The views from Taor- 
mina are of great beauty, as the entire coast from Catania to 
Messina is an unbroken panorama of brilliant nature, with 
Etna as a sublime background. Green hills extending to the 
beach, picturesque clusters of rocks, inviting valleys, and cosey 
villages, mark the sea front in grand combinations. 

It was night when the Panormos, fearless of the fabled 
Chary bd is and Scylla, entered the Earo, or Strait of Messina. 



Sicily. 263 

The lights of Reggio in Calabria gleamed on the right, and 
ahead a myriad of scintillations indicated the site of Messina. 
At its narrowest point, north of the city, the strait is scarcely 
more than two miles wide. Across from the Faro Point, the 
site of the whirlpool Charybdis on the Sicilian side, to the 
renowned rock of Scylla, on the Calabrian or Italian shore, the 
distance is rather less than three and one-half miles. This 
passage was the terror of ancient mariners, who supposed the 
whirlpool and rock were inhabited by female monsters that 
sought to destroy every ship which came within their reach. 
The danger of the passage, real or fancied, is now a story of 
the past, only ordinary care being necessary for safety to ves- 
sels. Strong currents and eddies exist at intervals, but they 
inspire no fear to the experienced seaman. The Strait of 
Messina is also celebrated for the phenomenon of the Fata 
Morgana, a mirage by which images of distant buildings, ships > 
and other objects are reflected in the air or water. Frequently 
the image is double, in which case one is inverted. 

Messina is entitled to be distinguished as the most ener- 
getic city of Sicily, and, as a result, is less devoted to feigning 
aristocracy than Catania or even Palermo. The site is admi- 
rably adapted for a commercial centre, as its port is a natural 
sickle-shaped tongue of land resembling the Cape Cod penin- 
sula on a reduced scale. The city enjoys a rich commerce, the 
exports being largely of oranges, silk, sulphur, and essences. 

Ancient Messina, or Messene, was founded by a Greek 
colony as early as the eighth century before Christ. Wars, 
epidemics, and earthquakes have caused the number of its in- 
habitants to vary greatly within short periods, but after every 
occasion of devastation the recovery has been rapid, owing to 
the natural advantages of the situation. The population at 
present is probably about one hundred and twenty-five thou- 
sand. The frequency of earthquakes has been the greatest 
impediment to its progress; but only slight shocks have been 



264 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

experienced since 1783, when the city was almost destroyed by 
a violent upheaval. The land side of Messina is protected 
from warlike intruders by a wall built by Charles V. on old 
foundations, likely of Norman origin. Fronting the sea, Fort 
San Salvatore and the citadel on the extremity of the sickle 
are the chief means of defence. The latter was the last fort- 
ress in Sicily to surrender to Victor Emmanuel in 1861. 

The people of Messina are especially proud of their straight, 
handsome streets, and in several instances the feeling is justi- 
fied. Along the sea front they also have the Marina, a boule- 
vard one hundred feet broad, which describes a crescent above 
a mile in length. Stone quays with lamps and steps extend 
along the water, while on the other side is a long range of 
uniform, lofty buildings, faced with half-columns between the 
first and third floors. Midway in the length of the Marina, 
and opposite the City Hall, is the marble fountain of Neptune. 
It is surmounted with a statue of the god, and near the base 
are Charybdis and Scylla represented as chained mermaids. 
Piazzas and fountains are numerous throughout the city, and 
add greatly to its appearance. 

The chief sacred edifices are the Duomo, or Cathedral of 
Our Lady of the Letter, and the Church of San Gregorio. 
The Duomo was commenced by Roger the Norman about A.D. 
1100, and finished by his son, King Eoger. Like all old 
buildings in this volcanic section, it has been restored at 
various times. The design of the edifice is that of a Latin 
cross, and the decorations consist of the usual spread of mo- 
saics, marble carvings, and twenty-six antique columns taken 
from Greek or other temples. In the rear of the richly-orna- 
mented high altar is a tablet bearing a copy of the original 
letter which the pious mendicant women firmly believe was 
written by the Virgin Mary, and in which she promises to 
take Messina under her particular care. The presence of this 
extraordinary document gives the name to the church. San 



SICILY. 265 

Gregorio was built by the nobility of the city in 1542, and is 
remarkable from the fact that nearly the entire walls, floor, 
and altar are of mosaics of the Florentine order. It also 
has a curious campanile, or bell-tower, which resembles a 
cone-shaped corkscrew surmounted by the pontifical mitre and 
cross-keys. Formerly an extensive nunnery almost surrounded 
this church, but the institution having been expropriated, the 
buildings are now vacant. 

The municipality is about completing an extensive new 
Campo Santo, or cemetery, on a plateau south of the city, 
where the view is truly magnificent. The price for a first- 
class niche is two hundred and fifty francs for five years, and 
two thousand francs for eternity, tombstones and monuments 
being extra in either case. If relatives neglect the payment 
of the rent, the unfortunate dead are carefully thrown down a 
catacomb, or general receptacle for bones. This system doubt- 
less prompts the living to provide by will for their rest after 
death. We saw the funeral of a military count at Messina, 
and wondered at the long line of empty equipages in the pro- 
cession. Upon inquiry, it was stated to be the custom of the 
nobility thus to send their carriages to the obsequies of a 
member of any titled family. 

Leaving Messina in the Panormos, we sailed around the 
ankle of the foot on the course to Palermo. A glance at the 
map will show Sicily to resemble closely a foot, which is 
attached to the leg Italy. Its irregular triangular form led 
the Greeks to name the island Trinacria, or the three angles 
or promontories. These points are now called Capes Faro, 
P&ssaro, and Boco. This figure of the island also suggested 
the device which has been and is the arms of the island, and 
known as the Trinacria. It consists of three equidistant 
human leg?, bent at the knee, and arranged like spokes in a 
wheel, with the feet facing out and the hips concealed behind 
a circle bearing a human face. This symbol is frequently seen 

18 



266 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

on the steamers, palaces, and in other conspicuous places, while 
the word itself is a common name for hotels. The circumfer- 
ence of Sicily, following the line of the coast, is stated to be 
six hundred and twenty -four miles, and the area about ten 
thousand five hundred and fifty-six square miles. 

Soon after we round Cape Faro, the Lipari or iEolian 
Islands are discerned ahead. This group consists of seven 
large islands and ten small ones, the most northerly of all 
being Stromboli, which contains the ever-active volcano of the 
same name. The greater part of the lava used in the United 
States is brought from the Lipari Islands, where, on account 
of their volcanic nature, it is obtained in large quantities. 
Stromboli was the reputed residence of JEolus, the god of 
winds, who kept the breezes in the hollow of a mountain and 
liberated them at pleasure. So powerful was iEolus that even 
Queen Juno besought him to wreck the Trojan fleet. Vulcan, 
the deity of fire and artisan for the gods, had one of his work- 
shops in the Lipari group, and to this day one of the islands 
bears his name. He was here assisted in his labors by the 
Cyclops, a race of giants, who each had but one circular eye, 
which was set in the middle of the forehead. This smithery 
produced the thunderbolts of Jupiter and armor for the gods 
and favored heroes. From the Lipari group to Palermo 
there is little to arrest the attention. 

The approach to Palermo from the sea forms an effective 
picture. The bay is outlined like an amphitheatre, and, be- 
yond the rich plain on which the city is built, the mountains, 
with Monte Pellegrino on the southwest, constitute a grand 
enclosure. The great beauty of the situation, together with 
the luxuriance of its orange-groves, has earned for it the title 
of Conca d'Oro, or the Golden Shell. Palermo, or ancient 
Panormos, has successively been under the sway of the Phoe- 
nicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, 
Normans, Suabians, Aragonese, Spaniards, and other minor 



sicily. 267 

dynasties. In the year 1860, Garibaldi entered the Porta di 
Termini and raised the standard of Victor Emmanuel. The 
population of the city will probably reach two hundred thou- 
sand, and the most active portion of the number is engaged in 
the foreign commerce. The upper classes lead an ornamental 
life, and the numerous poor are professional beggars of the 
boldest, most persistent, and annoying type. 

Palermo is divided into four quarters by two straight and 
imposing streets, — the Via Toledo and Strada Maqueda, — 
which cross each other at right angles and extend the entire 
length and width of the city. These are the principal thor- 
oughfares for shopping and promenading, and along them, at 
intervals, are many fine buildings. Bordering the water front 
is the broad Marina, an avenue for driving and promenading. 
With the exception of the streets named, the plan of the city 
displays that irregularity which characterizes Saracenic or 
Spanish origin. There are several piazzas, or squares, which 
are generally adorned with gardens, fountains, or monuments. 
The Pretoria fountain, which stands on the piazza of the same 
name, is one of the largest and most elaborate in Europe. It 
is constructed of marble, and measures four hundred and 
thirty-three feet in circumference, with a height of forty-two 
feet. A multitude of well-carved figures are distributed about 
the four basins, and jets of water issue from no less than 
thirty-seven statues, twenty urns, and twenty-four mythological 
animals. 

Many edifices throughout Palermo are dignified with the 
title of palace, while but few deserve it, and fewer still are 
worthy of note. The Palazzo Reale, or Royal Palace, dates 
from the period of the Saracens, or in the ninth century, but 
in reality the present irregular pile consists of more modern 
additions and alterations. Nothing earlier than the time of the 
Normans can now be recognized, but a hall ornamented by that 
dynasty is interesting. The remarkable feature of the palace, 



268 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

and that which induces the visits of tourists, is the wonderful 
Cappella Palatina. This royal chapel owes its origin to King 
Roger, in the twelfth century, but the profuse decorations 
were probably not fully completed until after his reign. Its 
general design is that of a basilica, including a nave, side- 
aisles, and three apses. The arches of the stilted Saracenic 
style and the columns are alternately of Egyptian granite and 
of marble, with gilded Corinthian capitals of various combina- 
tions. The floors and the walls to the height of ten feet, are 
composed wholly of the most costly marbles, porphyry, and 
strips of opus Grcecanicum and Saracenic mosaics. Above these, 
and extending to the roof, the walls are a mass of pictorial By- 
zantine mosaics. The flat wooden roof is gorgeously fretted, 
and painted in the Saracenic style. The pulpit, the seat for the 
king, and all minor objects are covered with mosaics or intri- 
cate carving, sustaining the same lavish expenditure which 
characterizes the entire sanctuary. Above the chapel is an old 
Norman tower, which was converted into an astronomical ob- 
servatory in 1791. It contains the powerful telescope with 
which the planet Ceres was discovered in 1801. 

The National Museum has an extensive array of archaeo- 
logical relics from various ruins, as well as a large collection 
of paintings, principally by Sicilian artists. Among the former 
are the ten celebrated metopes from the Doric temples of Seli- 
nus, which the British Museum has coveted, but of which that 
institution has only casts. The Duomo, or cathedral of Pa- 
lermo, is a massive specimen of the Sicilian pointed style, with 
touches of the Italian, Norman, and Saracenic. Roger the 
Norman and his descendants are interred in grand mausoleums 
within its walls. 

Travellers invariably drive to Monreale, a village four miles 
distant from the gates, to visit a cathedral which is an enlarged 
duplicate of the Cappella Palatina. It also has two chapels, 
which are unrivalled for richness of variegated marbles, carv- 



sicilv. 269 

ings, statuary, and mosaics. No description which any writer 
might attempt could convey an adequate idea of the marvel- 
lous extravagance of this church, and of one of the chapels in 
particular. The Medici Chapel at Florence is simple in com- 
parison with this Sicilian wonder, and nothing in Italy can 
overshadow the former magnificent sepulchre. Attached to 
the Monreale cathedral is a deserted Benedictine monastery, 
whose large cloister is an object of much attraction on account 
of the beauty of the alternate pairs of plain and decorated 
columns. 

Palermo and its vicinity were the scene of the outbreak of 
the massacre renowned as the Sicilian Vespers. The uprising 
commenced on Easter Monday, March 30, or Tuesday, March 
31, 1282 ; and eventually not less than eight thousand French 
were put to death. The cause of this sanguinary revolution 
is directly traceable to usurpation. Charles of Anjou, brother 
of Louis IX. (St. Louis) of France, and a man of violent 
temperament, was invested with the kingdom of the Two 
Sicilies by Pope Urban IV., and his successor, Clement IV. 
Manfred, an illegitimate son of the Emperor Frederick II., 
was then the reigning king of Naples; but having incurred 
the enmity of the Roman See by religious dissensions, the 
Pontiffs sought his destruction through the ambition of the 
fiery Charles. In the war which followed Manfred was killed, 
and Charles established himself on the disputed throne. The 
former had in the first instance acquired the crown by descend- 
ing to an unfair advantage of his trust as regent; but, as no 
other heir intervened, the succession belonged to his daughter 
Constance. Upon the death of Manfred, Pedro III., sur- 
named the Great, King of Aragon, the husband of Constance, 
obtained the assent of the Sicilians to assert his claim to the 
kingdom of Naples. Therein he received the encouragement 
of the Greek emperor, Palseologus, who stood in fear of an 
invasion from Charles. In the meanwhile the government of 



270 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the island had been marked by oppression and cruelty. The 
gathering spirit of revolt in Sicily was now quickened by the 
accession of Pope Nicholas III., who cancelled the grant of 
the throne of Naples to the house of Anjou, and bestowed it 
on that of Aragon. 

A conspiracy to destroy the French at Palermo was perfected 
by Giovanni of Procida, and upon the day above named the 
first stroke of the vesper-bell was to be the signal to inaugu- 
rate the deadly work. Historians, however, differ upon this 
point. Sicilian writers especially deny that the uprising was 
premeditated, but others entertain contrary views. Gibbon, 
with his usual care, says, "The mine was prepared with deep 
and dangerous artifice ; but it may be questioned whether the 
instant explosion of Palermo was the effect of accident or de- 
sign." According to the native authority the massacre was a 
spontaneous outburst caused by a climax of accumulated out- 
rage. The people were assembling for vespers at the Church 
of the Holy Ghost, which yet stands about half a mile south 
of the city gates of St. Agatha and Montalto. The municipal 
Campo Santo, or cemetery, now occupies the surrounding 
ground upon which the conflict raged. Many were prome- 
nading or sitting in groups before entering the church, when 
a party of French officers appeared, and insolently approached 
some of the women. Finally, a Frenchman searched a bride's 
bosom on the pretext of discovering concealed weapons. The 
w T oman fainted, and upon falling into her husband's arms the 
incensed man cried, "Death ! death to the French !" A youth 
at this crisis killed the officer, whereupon the massacre be- 
came general, and every Frenchman within the city suffered 
death. The tragedy at Palermo aroused the oppressed people 
throughout the island, and the revolution ended only with the 
utter annihilation of the French. At this opportune juncture 
Pedro of Aragon arrived with his fleet from the coast of 
Africa, and was crowned king of Sicily. Charles summoned 



SICILY. 271 

his forces from the Grecian war to attempt the recovery of the 
kingdom ; but in an encounter with the Catalan squadron, 
which was aided by the people of Messina, the French arma- 
ment was totally destroyed. Thus was the island emancipated 
from the rule of the oppressive stranger through the terrible 
agency of the Sicilian Vespers. 

Travellers who have the time, and the inclination to accept 
wretched hotel accommodations, make visits to the ruins of 
Segeste and Selinus to examine the stately Doric temples which 
still exist to mark the sites of those ancient cities. 

Finding the railroad communication open from Palermo to 
Girgenti, we made the journey to the ruins of ancient Agri- 
gentum which cluster about the latter place. As Palermo is 
on the northern and Girgenti on the southern coast of Sicily, 
the trip affords an opportunity to observe the interior richness 
of the island. Departing from Palermo at the dismal hour of 
five in the morning, we were landed at Girgenti just before 
noon, nearly double the time any train should consume for the 
same distance. Before leaving Palermo we had inquired the 
name of the best hotel at Girgenti, and were told to patronize 
the Belvedere, which was reputed to offer fair quarters. Upon 
driving from the station to that locanda, in company with four 
other travellers, we were informed by a man who spoke only 
the Sicilian dialect that the house was not prepared for guests. 
With many misgivings we then drove to the main street, and, 
as a last resort, took quarters at a hostelry of most doubtful 
aspect. Never did a hotel bearing such an impressive title as 
the Albergo Empedocleo so little deserve it from the accom- 
modations it offered. The prospect at the moment of our ar- 
rival was cerulean enough to determine us that the next morn- 
ing should be the signal for departure. After a lunch of coffee 
without milk, and bread with powerful butter, we took a for- 
lorn carriage with a loquacious driver and went out to the 
ruins. 



272 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The remains are all on ground overlooking the sea, and in 
the midst of a beautiful country. The city of which these 
ruins are the remnant was called Acragas by the Greeks and 
Agrigentum by the Romans; the last place founded by the 
former in Sicily, and dating from B.C. 582. In history it is 
very similar to other prominent cities of ancient Sicily, suffer- 
ing many changes of masters. Acragas saw its greatest pros- 
perity and magnificence under Theron, B.C. 480, when its lux- 
ury and wealth are said to have been second to no city of 
Greece. The Carthaginian siege and capture, in B.C. 406, and 
the subsequent destruction, in B.C. 255, when the same people 
retook the city from the Romans, were misfortunes from which 
Agrigentum never recovered. During the period of Roman 
supremacy the place was unimportant, although still in exist- 
ence. After passing through the Saracenic, Norman, and suc- 
ceeding dominations, we find the modern town of Girgenti 
with less than twenty thousand people, — obscure, impover- 
ished, and uninteresting, save in the ruins on the neighboring 
elevated ground, which recall its lost glory. The position 
occupied by the city was an acclivity sloping towards the sea. 
The highest point or citadel was known as the Athenaeum, 
from its Temple of Minerva, and the hill is yet called the 
Rupe Atenea. 

Remains of the city walls are still extant in a condition of 
picturesque ruin. They were formed of the solid rock, and 
the interior side was utilized for sepulchral niches. The most 
perfect and beautiful of all the ruins is the Temple of Con- 
cord, a title bestowed upon mere supposition. Like all the 
relics in the vicinity, this temple is built of a yellowish con- 
crete of sand and shells which, though quite hard, is pervious 
to the weather. The edifice is strictly Doric in design and 
very similar to the great Athenian temples, especially to the 
Theseum. Its plan is hexastyle-peripteral, with a length of 
one hundred and twenty- four feet four inches, and a breadth 



sicily. 273 

of fifty-five feet nine inches. Near by is the Temple of Juno 
Laeina, a designation which is also conjectural. In design, 
size, and material it is almost a duplicate of the first, although 
in a less perfect state. The largest of all the Acragas temples, 
and the only one whose name is preserved with certainty, is 
that of Jupiter Olympius. It was built in the Doric order, 
and measured three hundred and fifty-four feet seven inches 
long and one hundred and seventy-three feet eight inches wide. 
Little of the superstructure is now standing, but the whole 
area is strewn with great blocks of stone. The complete frag- 
ments of a colossal figure, with the arms elevated over the 
head like an Atlas, are lying in the cella of the temple. The 
remnants of eleven such colossi, each twenty-six feet in height, 
are scattered about, inducing the belief that they upheld some 
portion of the edifice. The remaining temples of Hercules, 
Ceres and Proserpine, Castor and Pollux, and the smaller 
ones of ^Escnlapius and Vnlcan, are so similar to those already 
detailed that a mere mention of them is sufficient. Then 
there are also the remains of baths, a so-called Tomb of The- 
ron, the Piscina or fish-pond, the deserted mediaeval convent 
of Santo Xicola, a lanre burial grotto or catacomb, and other 
evidences that the site Avas once occupied by an opulent city. 

Towards evening we returned to the Empedocleo, and upon 
inquiring for dinner they invited us to ascend to the garret, 
where the salle a manger was located. There we found four 
German travellers as unfortunate as ourselves, and the laugh 
regarding the common predicament went merrily around the 
untidy table. Through an open door the unsavory odors of 
stewing and frying came from the next apartment, promising 
but little of a character grateful to the appetite. A menu 
scrawled in the Sicilian dialect was handed around, but not a 
word except "oranges" could be understood. Hoping to meet 
at least one edible dish, we ordered the entire list, although it 
was a la carte. One by one they came, served by an uncleanly 



274 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Avaiter, and one by one our hopes took flight. Retiring hungry, 
the night proved no more refreshing than the dinner, and with 
the first morning train for Catania we gladly left the town. 

After following the railroad to Palermo for a distance of ten 
miles, passengers for Catania were transferred to a stage for a 
five hours' drive to a point where the new line was completed. 
This journey was over a mountainous region, and afforded an ex- 
cellent opportunity to notice the volcanic nature of the island. 
In passing through the squalid villages it was not uncommon 
to see trains of donkeys laden with sulphur from the neigh- 
boring mountains. In various places the landscape is rugged 
and precipitous, and not without beauty. Considering the 
dust, heat, and the number of Sicilian nobility crowded in the 
stage, we were not sorry to reach the temporary terminus of 
the railway. Although the speed of the train was not rapid, it 
was several degrees faster than that of the stage. Not a single 
buffet existed along the route, and as we were hungry upon 
leaving Girgenti, the sensation had become considerably inten- 
sified when, at nine in the evening, the train rolled into Cata- 
nia. Such are the pleasures which greet a traveller who has 
the desire to study the interior of Sicily. A generous supper 
and a bed without intruders fortunately awaited us at Catania, 
and so all troubles were banished with the return of comfort. 
A year of travel develops so many contrasts of luxurious and 
wretched quarters, that it becomes instinctive to enjoy the 
former and quickly forget the latter. 

Having already seen Catania, we spent half a day in shop- 
ping, and then took a direct train for Syracuse. The line 
of the railroad is very circuitous: now digressing to Lentini; 
then across to Bruca; next curving in towards Cape Santa 
Croce to touch at Augusta; and lastly following the indenta- 
tions of the eastern coast. Augusta claims to occupy the site of 
extiuct Megara Hyblsea, which flourished between the seventh 
and second centuries before Christ. The bay, near which the 



SICILY. 275 

modern town stands, is noted as having been the scene of an 
engagement in 1676, wherein the Dutch squadron under Ruy- 
ter was defeated by the French Admiral Duquesne. Cape 
Santa Croce was so named because of the tradition that the 
Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, there 
landed with the true cross, which she is said to have found in 
that part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem 
known as the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross. Possibly 
the friars who yet adhere to this statement can explain why 
the mother of the Emperor of the East should have landed 
her sacred treasure in Sicily. The story of the discovery of 
the cross is a popular belief in the Holy City, but it fails to 
include its shipment to Sicily. Traditional illusions, like 
many cherished friendships, frequently suffer by casual inves- 
tigation. 

Modern Siracusa, or Syracuse, is confined to the peninsula 
which formerly constituted Ortygia, one of the five divisions 
of the ancient city. The population is now but twenty thou- 
sand, and the interior of the town is wholly unattractive ex- 
cept in a few remains of the ancient city. Nearly all the 
principal ruins are located in the present open country. The 
walls and fortifications which encompass the present town were 
almost impregnable at the time of their construction by Charles 
V. in the first half of the sixteenth century. The peninsular 
topography admits of but one approach to the place, and no 
less than three bridges and five gates must be passed before 
the interior is reached. A moat extends around between each 
of the lines of walls, and every gate is fitted with a drawbridge. 
The entrance to the port on the south is defended by the Byzan- 
tine castle of Maniace, a fortress which was of imposing 
strength in its day. None of these defences would prove 
available for modern warfare, as the site is commanded by 
neighboring unfortified heights. When once outside the walls, 
modern Syracuse is forgotten in the contemplation of the 



276 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

vestiges of its great past, — a London or Paris of the earlier 
classic ages. 

Syracuse was founded by a colony of Greeks from Corinth 
under Archais, B.C. 734. It rapidly increased in power, but 
suffered from civil wars during the sixth and fifth centuries 
before the Christian era. Falling under the power of Gelon, 
the Tyrant of Gela, the city prospered, as his rule, though 
arbitrary, was considerate and progressive. Under his succes- 
sor, Hieron, learning and the arts were cultivated, drawing 
such men to the court as JEschylus and Pindar. In B.C. 415 
the Athenians commenced their celebrated siege of Syracuse, 
which not only failed, but produced disastrous results at Athens. 
The renowned Dionvsius obtained despotic control of the city 
in B.C. 406, and greatly strengthened its fortifications and 
walls. During his reign a Carthaginian invading fleet was 
entirely destroyed, and the prestige of the city abroad thereby 
greatly increased. In B.C. 310 the Syracusans, under Agatho- 
cles, again repulsed a Carthaginian siege and annihilated the 
invaders. During the third century before Christ, Hieron II. 
largely embellished the city, and in his reign it readied its 
greatest splendor and wealth. The Romans, under Marcel! us, 
invested the place B.C. 214, but the ingenuity of Archimedes, 
a native of Syracuse, prevented its capture until two years 
later. Thus terminated the independence of the greatest of 
ancient Sicilian cities, and thenceforward it became a Roman 
province. During the time Cicero was quaestor of Sicily, Syra- 
cuse still possessed its great buildings; but Sextus Pompeius 
so maltreated the old city that Augustus was forced to repeople 
it with new colonies. From the time of the Roman dominion 
Syracuse changed masters with that frequency which charac- 
terizes Sicilian history; but repeated sieges and the destruction 
of war finally reduced it to the present fallen estate. 

When in its flourishing period, Syracuse was so vast that it 
virtually consisted of five cities, — Epipolse, Tyche, Neapolis, 



I 



SICILY. 277 

Acradina, and Ortygia. Commencing with the first, or most 
northerly division, which was on high and rocky ground, we 
find the remnants of the walls of Dionysins, which were three 
and one-half miles in length, the remains of the Greek Fort 
Euryalus, an ancient aqueduct, and the Latomia del Filosofo. 
The last is a series of subterranean caverns, prisons, galleries, 
and shelters for troops, all cut out of the solid rock. Tyche 
was noted for its forts and towers, but so little now remains 
that their sites are problematical. Acradina has several relics 
of interest. Among the best are the Latomia dei Cappuccini, 
or the great underground prisons, where the captive Athenian 
invaders were confined; the subterrene Baths of Venus; the 
old church of San Marziano, where St. Paul sojourned and 
preached three days, and where St. Mark is said to have been 
martyred ; and the wonderful Catacombs. These sepulchral 
galleries have never been fully explored, but the belief is that 
they extend for miles. If even the excavated portions alone 
are considered, they are without a rival in magnitude. 

The chief remains of old Syracuse are in the section called 
Xeapolis. Prominent among them are a Roman amphi- 
theatre; the Ara, a great altar six hundred and seven feet 
long, and sixty -one feet wide, partly of masonry and partly of 
the cut rock ; the Piscina di San Niccolo, or reservoir fur fish ; 
the Sepulchral Road, or rocky avenue, two hundred yards long, 
whose perpendicular sides are indented with burial-niches; the 
Doric tombs mistaken as those of Archimedes and Timoleon; 
a Greek theatre cut out of the solid rock and capable of seating 
twenty-four thousand persons ; and the celebrated Ear of 
Dionysins. The last is a cavern or prison in the shape of 
the ear of an ass, which winds inward and upward to a small 
chamber. It measures two hundred feet long, seventy feet 
high, and from fifteen to thirty-five feet wide. Jt is popularly 
believed to have been excavated by Dionysins, but all is in- 
volved in doubt. Places cut in the rock for rings, to which 



278 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

to attach chains, seem to confirm the supposition that the Ty- 
rant used the grotto as a prison. The wonder of this cavern 
is in its acoustic properties. The slightest sound produced at 
the entrance, or at any point of the interior, is carried to the 
small chamber at the remote upper end with such an augmen- 
tation as to be startling. A piece of paper snapped in two 
causes a reverberation like the roll of musketry, and a pis- 
tol-shot returns a perfect imitation of thunder. A whisper 
cannot be uttered so faintly as not to be distinctly understood. 
Whether this marvellous sonorific effect was accidental or de- 
signed, must forever remain a mystery. It is certain that its 
very perfection would have warned prisoners to beware of ex- 
changing any unfavorable comments regarding the Tyrant, 
and thus frustrated his traditional purpose. 

The division of the old city called Ortygia, or the present 
Syracuse, contains remnants of the Doric temples of Minerva 
and Diana, and the legendary Fountain of Arethusa. The 
latter is a semicircular basin of masonry, twenty feet deep and 
fifty feet long, with papyri growing in the water. The city 
wall alone separates the fountain from the sea, but in former 
times the water was perfectly sweet. The story of Arethusa 
is that of a beautiful maid who was seen bathing by the river- 
god Alpheus, and upon being pursued by that enamored deity 
she appealed to the protection of Diana, whereupon the god- 
dess transformed Arethusa into a fountain. The Museum of 
Syracuse embraces a collection of the relics found in the vicin- 
ity, and among the number is a fine Parian marble statue called 
the Landolina Venus. The goddess is represented with her 
left hand in the act of drawing the drapery about her partly- 
nude limbs, while the right, which is missing, was evidently 
in the conventional attitude of concealing the bosom. A dol- 
phin rests at the base of the figure. The head of this treasure 
has never been discovered, but even without that important 
member the work has no little attraction for the lover of art. 



SICILY. 279 

It is surprising that Syracuse should be so little visited. 
Its situation away from the beaten paths of European travel 
prevents that general attention which its history and ruins de- 
serve. Again, the climate of the vicinity is all that could be 
desired for a winter retreat, and a comfortable hotel on one of 
the eminences beyond the cramped town is alone wanting to 
render it a delightful resort alike for the archaeologist and the 
student, the invalid and the peripatetic lounger. 



CHAPTER XV. 



MALTA AND GIBRALTAR. 



The voyage from Syracuse to Malta was accomplished in 
one night on the Florio side-wheel steamer Galileo. An Eng- 
lish fellow- passenger stated that the ship's boilers were of 
doubtful strength, but, as no explosion occurred, the fact caused 
no trouble. Onr impressions of the steamer were that she was 
chiefly remarkable for rolling, and for the number of fleas the 
company contrived to sustain on board. The state-room was 
thronged with them, as well as the saloon sofas, and throughout 
the night the vigilant nibblers battled with Somnus for suprem- 
acy. As the Florio company is Sicilian, the home port being 
Palermo, such an accession in a steamer on a short route is in 
every way appropriate. If there is one object above another to 
which the average Sicilian is partial, it is fleas; and hence they 
are liberally supplied to every household, hotel, and public 
conveyance. The traveller, however, who is accustomed to 
cleanliness, and pays thirty francs for an eight hours 7 voyage, 
generally prefers to dispense with such favorites. 

We arrived at Malta early in the morning, ran in under the 
pretentious walls of the Castle of St. Angelo and Fort St. 
Elmo, and anchored close to the British war-fleet. Among 
the ships was the five-masted iron-clad Minotaur, an impres- 
sive specimen of England's strength on the ocean. If Theseus 
of old could arise from his sepulchre in the noble Athenian 
temple, he would scarcely dare grapple with this modern John 
Bull of the seas. Upon landing at Valetta the stranger verily 
280 



MALTA AXD GIBRALTAR. 281 

falls among thieves, as a more rascally fraternity than the 
Maltese porters could not exist. When these parasites are 
disposed of, and the traveller is installed at the inviting Eng- 
lish hotel, it is not difficult to discover that Malta is a pleasant 
resort and a favorite haven for fagged Londoners and exhausted 
Anglo-Indiamen. We were fortunate in seeing the place ex- 
ceptionally animated, because of the presence of some twenty 
thousand more troops than usual. The society of the island 
at the time of our visit was led by the Duke and Duchess 
of Edinburgh, whose presence there was necessitated by the 
duke's captaincy of the iron-clad Sultan, which had been 
cruising in the Mediterranean for a considerable period. The 
military element, which predominates at Malta, is pretentious 
to a degree that excites the ridicule of even English visitors ; 
but, on the whole, all sojourners appear to enjoy the season. 
The new Theatre Royal, on the Strada Reale of Valetta, is 
a grand edifice built of the buff Maltese stone, and profusely 
adorned with Corinthian columns. The cast of the opera 
usually comprises singers who leave London to escape the 
doleful weather which marks the winter months of that me- 
tropolis. Malta has been the scene of the debut of so many 
lyric artistes that it is known as the " nursery." In addition 
to the opera-house, Valetta has the Theatre Manoel, where 
English and Italian dramas are performed, including repre- 
sentations in which the military and naval officers appear as 
amateurs. Then there is the afternoon band-concert on the 
parade-ground, or the British standard game of cricket, to 
amuse the officers and their lady friends. The high private, 
conscious of his precise toilet, promenades the streets with his 
rimless cap perched far on one side, and in his gloved hand, 
in imitation of his superiors, he twirls a short cane with a 
studied finish which is amusing to contemplate. 

The history of Malta is not unlike that of Sicily, and at 
times the fortunes of the two have been identical. It is chiefly 

19 



282 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

celebrated in modern annals as the stronghold of the Order of 
the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, to whom it was ceded in 
1530 by Charles V. of Germany and Spain. It remained in 
the possession of that organization until the invasion under 
Napoleon, in 1798. Having already traced the progress of the 
Knights from the time of their institution at Jerusalem, through 
their residence at Rhodes, and up to their expulsion from 
Malta, but little remains to be added to complete the narrative. 
Although, according to the terms of the capitulation, members 
of the order were permitted to reside at Malta subject to 
French rule, the survivors generally migrated to Russia, to 
accept the protection offered by the Emperor Paul. Late in 
1798 that monarch was chosen grand master, but since his 
death in 1801 the existence of the order has been nominal. 
In 1814 the island was ceded to England by the Congress of 
Vienna, and has since been used by that government as a 
military and naval station. 

During the reign of the Knights, Malta was rendered almost 
impregnable by the walls and forts which still remain, and in 
1566 the present city of Valetta was commenced under Grand 
Master Jean de la Valette. The Church of St. John, which 
yet ranks as the most important on the island, was constructed 
about 1576, in the reign of Grand Master La Cassiere. Its 
facade lacks all design, but the imposing interior is most 
elaborate. The roof of the nave is ornamented with large 
paintings illustrating prominent events in the life of the tute- 
lary saint. The pavement is wholly of mosaic sepulchral 
slabs, beneath which many Knights are interred. The chapels 
of the several nationalities represented in the order are rich 
with alto-rilievo gilded wood carvings, gorgeous monuments of 
the grand masters, and costly altars. The high altar of the 
church is of rare marbles and stones wrought into mosaics ; 
and surmounting the choir is a grand piece of sculpture which 
pictures the baptism of Christ by St. John. 



MALTA AND GIBRALTAR. 283 

The most interesting relic of the valiant Knights is the 
Palace of the Grand Master — now the residence of the Eng- 
lish governor — together with its armor}'. Evidences of the 
tastes of the order are here abundant. One apartment, which 
is at present the council chamber, is hung with Gobelin tapes- 
tries illustrating scenes in Africa and India. They are one 
hundred and fifty years old, but of remarkable freshness and 
coloring. A long corridor, flanked with wooden effigies of the 
Knights in full armor, leads to the large hall used as the armory. 
Here are many complete suits of mail, as well as the warlike 
trophies of knightly prowess. Prominent in the collection are 
a cannon made of tarred rope wrapped round a lining of 
copper, the sword of the Algerine General Dragut, an antique 
breech-loading heavy swivel-musket, the original grant of the 
island over the autograph of Charles V., and a suit of armor 
seven feet high and proportionately wide. After the palace 
the auberges, or places of assembly for the Knights of each 
language, demand a share of attention. These buildings, 
which are located in various parts of the city, are known as 
the auberges of Castile, Aragon, France, Germany, Auvergne, 
and Italy. The Anglo-Bavarian, or English auberge, was lately 
demolished to afford space for the new Theatre Royal. Then 
the traveller completes a tour of the walls and fortifications, 
where the proud English soldier has replaced the extinct Knight 
as sentinel. Lastly, the Portas Reale, Marsamuscetto, and 
Marina, the gates of the city, are seen to complete the list of 
attractions. 

The principal objects of interest throughout the interior of 
the island may be seen in a day's excursion with a carriage. 
Taking the San Giuseppe Road, and following the great aque- 
duct built during the supremacy of the Knights, it is a drive 
of two hours to Citta Vecchia, the chief city of Malta in the 
days w T hen the island w r as called Melita. In addition to the 
antique town the visitor is shown the Grotto of St. Paul, be- 



284 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

neath the church of the same name, where, tradition alleges, 
that apostle, accompanied by St. Luke and St. Trophimus, 
resided during the three months' stay after his shipwreck (Acts 
xxviii. 1-11). The story of the cave is an accepted local 
belief; but as St. Paul was a tent-maker, it is fair to surmise 
he would have patronized his own trade in so sunny a clime 
rather than exist in such a den. Again, the Bible states that 
" the chief man of the island," Publius, offered "many honors" 
to St. Paul in gratitude for healing his sick father, and it is 
reasonable to suppose the hospitality of a human habitation 
would be included. The catacombs of St. Paul, near the above 
cave, are of very limited extent in comparison with those of 
Syracuse or Paris, and also of inferior construction. The 
grand masters of the Order of St. John were always inaugu- 
rated at the gates of Citta Yecchia, the ceremony consisting of 
the presentation of the keys of the city, the taking of the oath, 
and a mass, with a concluding Te Deum. 

From Citta Vecchia the carriage follows a road across the 
plain of Nasshar to visit St. Paul's Bay, on the northern coast, 
the traditional scene of the apostle's shipwreck. Nothing is to 
be seen there except an ordinary bay surrounded with bright 
Maltese stone houses to which the people of Valetta retire in 
summer. Within an hour's drive southwest from St. Paul's 
Bay is the so-called Grotto of Calypso, the supposed cave 
which Homer describes. This site is of very doubtful accu- 
racy, but in the old, old world people are gifted with a readi- 
ness to adapt every spot to some classical connection. On the 
return drive a halt is made at the village of Musta to inspect 
a church built after the design of the Pantheon, and equal 
in size to that Koman temple. It was completed only as late 
as 1862, and the stranger cannot but w r onder in this age of 
common sense why a structure so immense was erected in that 
trifling place. The rocky nature of the surface is everywhere 
apparent in the day's excursion, and were it not for energetic 






MALTA AND GIBRALTAR. 285 

culture the island would be unfertile. Malta is about sixty 
miles in circumference, with a maximum length of twenty 
and a width of twelve. The neighboring small islands of 
Gozo and Comino are subject to the governor of Malta, but 
nothing on either attracts the general traveller. 

Having satisfied our curiosity regarding Malta, the next ob- 
jective point was Gibraltar. To reach this British stronghold 
it is customary to join one of the homeward-bound ships of 
the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, 
which always call at Malta. The English speak of the line 
as the " P. and O.," the full title of the corporation never being 
used on account of its verbosity. Knowing that the steamers 
would be crowded by the usual spring migration from India 
to England, we applied early for a state-room, and found that 
four days must elapse before the arrival of the next ship, which 
was the Poonah. The name is that of a city of the presidency 
of Bombay, in British India. As soon as she was reported at 
the quarantine we once more braved the plundering Maltese 
boatmen and boarded the steamer. She proved to be a fine 
craft of three thousand tons and three hundred and forty feet 
long, and adapted only for carrying passengers. As a result, 
the state-rooms, both on deck and below, extended nearly the 
entire length of the ship. Only a small section forward was 
set apart as second-class, thus affording extensive accommoda- 
tions for saloon passengers. Upon presenting the ticket to the 
purser we learned that the Poonah was carrying one hundred 
and sixty first-class passengers and fifty of the second-rate, — 
a greater number than we had ever encountered on any 
steamer. It was with difficulty we secured a state-room, but 
in the end it was arranged by " doubling up" two single gen- 
tlemen. As the designated time of departure approached, 
those who had been on shore returned, when the decks assumed 
an aspect of great animation. Promptly at the appointed hour, 
nine in the evening, the great ship passed Fort Tigne, and once 



286 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

more we were at sea, this time under the flag of our mother- 
country. While it may be difficult to discover much of the 
disposition of a mother in Great Britain towards the United 
States, still it is correct to denominate her our mother-country, 
and hence it is so written. 

At breakfast, and afterward on the decks, on the morning 
succeeding our departure from Malta, we had an opportunity 
to study our numerous fellow-passengers. With rare excep- 
tions they were all English, and as a consequence sociability 
was a stranger among them. Little groups of threes and fours 
were almost unconscious of the presence of others, and the 
status of each had been carefully graduated. The Poonah had 
sailed from Calcutta more than four weeks before we joined 
her, but notwithstanding this lengthy steam voyage there was 
not the slightest wavering towards that general social inter- 
course which would naturally prevail in so small a compass. 
Probably among no other nationality could the same ludicrous 
spectacle be witnessed ; and it is but justice to state the English 
are only so when surrounded by their own people. Any one 
of the groups that were on the Poonah would be quite free 
from unsociability on a trans-Atlantic steamer with a cosmo- 
politan passenger list. It is of the rank of his countrymen 
that the Englishman stands in dread, to avoid the calamity of 
acknowledging in London an acquaintance of a grade below 
his own. More than a few of them frankly admit this 
national weakness ; but to escape it, they say, is impossible 
with their social fabric. Such was the variety on the Poonah 
that it may be amusing to sketch a few of the types of life 
seen on her decks. 

Heading the list is a pompous, portly English admiral who, 
finding himself the highest in rank among the passengers, ap- 
propriates the captain's telescope and promenades in lofty dig- 
nity, not condescending to converse with any except his wife and 
another lady. Next is a tall, dark-complexioned lady with a 



MALTA AND GIBRALTAR. 287 

bright red shawl, who but too plainly shows the Anglo-Indian 
amalgamation in her veins. Now comes an officer of the 
Tenth Hussars, with curled moustache and yellow-bound cap, 
who talks exclusively to his substantial-looking fiancee in a 
dialect that would do credit to Lord Dundreary. Then the 
magnificent, side-whiskered, kid-gloved purser — always the 
ship's toy — sits on the hurricane deck and devotes himself 
assiduously to a quiet, homely actress whose face is lavish with 
powder. Here we have a jovial American lady who hails from 
Petersburg and married a British parson in China, and is now 
stationed at Calcutta. There again is a pale civil service clerk 
in a soiled light suit and cork helmet, who is leaving India in 
the fear that another oppressive Bombay summer would en- 
danger his life. Next must be noticed the belle of the Poonah, 
a tall, bright, unaffected English girl who knows she is not of 
the bon ton because one of her brothers sells jams in London 
and another is only a government clerk in India. Sauntering 
among the throng is the ship's lordly doctor, a useless young 
man who prides himself on his figure and pleads guilty to an 
attachment for a flaxen-haired, dark-eyed actress in a seal-skin 
coat. Keading a novel and wrapped in a long Ulster is a pink- 
cheeked, modest young lady who is returning home from 
Malta, where for some time she has been a lady-in-waiting to 
the Duchess of Edinburgh. Then a quiet young American 
smokes his pipe, regards the ship's company anything but 
favorably, and insists he will be glad when freed from com- 
panionship with people so unsociable. A group of children 
are playing at jack-straws on the clean deck, and standing over 
them as nurses are three or four straight-haired, dark-skinned 
Hindostanee women, clad in thin white, and wearing a pro- 
fusion of trinkets on their fingers, in their noses, and around 
their ears. A neat and courteous English sailor stands before 
the compass on the quarter-deck, among the passengers, and 
communicates by speaking-trumpet to the bridge the cap- 



288 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

tain's orders regarding the ship's lane or course. The boat- 
swain's shrill whistle sounds, and a gang of supple, swarthy 
sailors from the western coast of India respond to prepare a 
sail to be raised by the donkey-engine to catch a fair breeze. 
The overworked cooks, bakers, and cabin stewards labor from 
morning almost to morning to serve the wants, tastes, and 
whims of the great ship's farrago of human nature. 

Soon after breakfast on the first morning out we passed 
close to the island of Pantellaria, which belongs to Italy, 
and is used for convicts. It was there Garibaldi went, on the 
opening of the war for Italian unity, to liberate the political 
prisoners. After the East Indian tiffin, or lunch, the steamer 
neared Cape Bon, on the African coast, and upon rounding 
that point we had an unobstructed view of the site of ancient 
Carthage. The city of Tunis is in the same vicinity, but hid- 
den from the sea on account of its position on an estuary in 
the rear of a range of hills. The next day the ship's course 
was farther from the shore, although the misty outline of the 
African hills was still in sight. The captain had promised us 
a glimpse of Algiers on the third morning, but the Poonah 
slipped by at four o'clock, and a man sees very little when he 
is asleep. That day was Sunday, and at half past ten the 
captain read the service of the Church of England on the 
quarter-deck. When we were on the Nile a courteous English 
clergyman was careful to add a prayer for the President of the 
United States, in conjunction with that for the Queen, seeing 
there were four Americans present; but the captain of the 
Indiaman was not so thoughtful in that particular, although we 
numbered as many on the Poonah. 

The same afternoon we had strong head-winds, with con- 
siderable pitching and rolling. Most of the passengers became 
very quiet, on account of the Sabbath probably. Upon arising 
on the fourth morning we saw from the state-room port the 
snow-capped Sierra Nevada of Andalusia. After breakfast we 



MALTA AND GIBRALTAR. 289 

passed the gigantic English troop-ship Jumna, which was bound 
homeward with two thousand military invalids from the scorch- 
ing sun of India. Signals were exchanged to designate " no 
news of importance." Contrary winds so retarded our sw T ift 
steamer that it was seven in the evening before " The Rock" 
or " Gib" was sighted straight ahead. English people seldom 
use the name Gibraltar, but always one or the other of the 
above brief titles. Two hours later we w T ere abreast the invin- 
cible fortress, and at half-past nine the Poonah's two guns 
were fired to announce her arrival to the English signal-station 
on the peak. Once more the grasp of piratical boatmen was 
upon us; once more the vicious shore porters attempted to 
exact double their lawful tariff; once more the luggage was 
" visited ;" once more a bargain was arranged with a paltering 
hackman, — and we were installed at a comfortable hotel on 
Waterport Street, under the guns of giant Gibraltar. 

The rocky promontory which constitutes Gibraltar projects 
into the sea a distance of about three miles, with a width of 
one-half to three-quarters of a mile. On the eastern side is 
the Mediterranean, on the west the spacious Bay of Gibraltar, 
and on the south the strait of the same name. The rock 
occupies about two-thirds of the length of the peninsula, 
and its inland termination is precipitous. Beyond, to the 
north, the ground is low and flat for the remainder of the dis- 
tance to the mainland of Spain. The lower part of this level 
strip belongs to England ; the middle is neutral ; and then, 
commences the Spanish territory. It is said the English por- 
tion is undermined, with a view to render Gibraltar an island 
in case of military necessity. The rock is rather less than 
fourteen hundred and fifty feet high, and its length extends 
north and south. On all sides but the western the ascent is 
almost perpendicular, so that access is utterly impossible except 
from the quarter named. The city is built along the base of 
this western slope, and faces the bay. The streets are narrow 



290 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

and crooked; the architecture is a confusion of the Spanish 
style with a variety of low, flat-roofed, and dark-colored houses ; 
the shops on Waterport Street represent several nationalities ; 
the people are Spanish, English, Moorish, and Jewish, together 
with a few of other types ; the public buildings are without 
interest; English and Spanish coins form the circulating 
medium ; the port is lively with a large number of small craft, 
— and such is the town of Gibraltar, with its population of 
twenty thousand. England secured possession of the fortress 
in 1704, when Sir George Rooke surprised its Spanish garrison 
of only eighty men. The treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, confirmed 
it to the English, who have maintained their ownership despite 
the extended Spanish sieges of 1727 and 1779. The word 
Gibraltar is derived from the Arabic gebel, a mountain, and 
Tarik, the name of a Moorish general who assisted in the con- 
quest of Spain. 

The tour of the rock and its fortifications is the chief in- 
ducement to land at Gibraltar. The town-major readily grants 
permits at his office on Governor's Lane, and the ascent com- 
mences from a point on the north near the barracks and a ruined 
Moorish tower which was built a.d. 725. A polite sergeant 
takes the permit at a gate on the acclivity, and accompanies 
the visitor as a cicerone. Rounding the slope of the rock to 
the north, we came upon a group of the native baboons, incor- 
rectly called Barbary apes, which have never been disturbed 
by either the Spanish or the English occupants. There are now 
seventeen of these amusing marauders on the rocks. Having 
ascended some distance through well-protected passages of 
masonry or rocky cutting, the sergeant led us into the Lower 
Gallery, which extends around the northern or Spanish side. 
This Titanic work consists of corridors and frequent chambers 
tunnelled in the solid mountain for a distance of several hun- 
dred feet. The chambers contain forty or fifty heavy rifled 
guns, which point through openings so arranged as to com- 



MALTA AND GIBE ALTAR. 291 

mand the bay, the Spanish approach, and the Mediterranean. 
Emerging at the opposite end, we ascended to the Upper Gal- 
lery, where almost the same length and armament are pre- 
sented. Then issuing on the slope overlooking the city, we met 
one open-air battery after another, each located on some com- 
manding position. When it is remembered that all these can- 
non are many hundred feet above the sea, and that the troops in 
the galleries are absolutely beyond the reach of harm, the reader 
may form some idea of the impregnability of Gibraltar. Then, 
in addition, the guns can be trained to sweep the rocks, and 
great piles of explosive missiles stand ready to be hurled upon 
any foe so intrepid as to attempt the scaling operation. And in 
these times of electric torpedoes and similar weapons, nothing 
could be more fatal for an enemy than to climb those rocks. 
Even a siege must prove ineffectual, as provision is made to 
sustain a large garrison for many months, and with a country 
of the naval resources of England, timely aid would be certain. 
While Gibraltar is a valuable naval station and impregnable 
to assault, in these days of iron-clads and steam it is utterly 
powerless, without the assistance of a fleet, to command the 
entrance of the Mediterranean. To the nearest point on the 
African coast the distance is twelve or thirteen miles, — too 
great for even modern projectiles. Torpedoes and a blockading 
squadron could alone do the work ; but, with them, the rock 
would serve as an adjunct and a convenient base of supplies. 
The views from the signal-station on one of the southern peaks 
are of incomparable grandeur. The ocean, under the glare of 
the sun, resembles a great expanse of glass, and ships dot the 
surface like mere toys. On the south, the rocky coast of 
Africa is distinctly outlined ; through the strait on the west 
the broad Atlantic reaches to the horizon ; to the northeast is 
the snowy Sierra Xevada ; and away in the north is fair Anda- 
lusia, — the terrestrial paradise of the Christian, the Jew, and 
the Moslem. 



CHAPTEE XYI. 

ANDALUSIA^ SPAIN. 

Very early one morning, before many of the people of 
Gibraltar were stirring, we walked along Waterport Street, 
preceded by knavish porters carrying the luggage upon their 
backs. We were bound for the Spanish steamer James Haynes, 
which was to convey us to Cadiz. The name is English, and 
the proprietors of the line probably belong to the same nation- 
ality, but the boats fly the Spanish flag. " A streak of red, 
a streak of yellow, and a streak of red," as we heard that 
ensign graphically described. As the bateau approached the 
steamer the anticipations of an unpleasant day became realized. 
The Strait of Gibraltar was unusually rough for the season, 
and the wind very high, while the James Haynes was so dimin- 
utive as to be unsuited to the service in which it is engaged. 
Twenty or more lady and gentleman passengers came on board, 
— mostly English, — and after a long delay we headed across 
the bay just before seven o'clock. On the opposite shore from 
Gibraltar we saw our first Spanish town, Algeciras, where a 
stop was made for passengers. It is principally noted for its 
failure to improve a manifest opportunity to become one of the 
most active ports of Spain. Starting again, the little steamer 
rounded Carnero Point, and was then fairly in the strait. The 
passage is in all thirty-six miles long and from twelve miles 
upward in width. Of the length we had about thirty miles 
to accomplish in a rough sea, and with no prospect of any im- 
provement beyond on the Atlantic. The distance from Gib- 
292 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIX. 993 

raltar to Cadiz is eighty miles, and the entire voyage proved 
as miserable as though it had been of equal duration on the 
English Channel. 

Instead of genre sketches on board a steamer in such a plight, 
we will introduce a brief outline of the coasts. The first town 
on the Spanish shore is Tarifa, which is of probable Phoenician 
origin, and still retains its Moorish appearance. It was renamed 
after the first Berber chieftain who landed in Spain, and during 
the succeeding wars the place often became prominent. Oppo- 
site, on the coast of Morocco, is Tangiers, a town much visited 
by tourists from Gibraltar for a glimpse of pristine oriental 
habits and customs, in lieu of the long journey to the East. 
About twenty-five miles beyond Tarifa is Cape Trafalgar, the 
scene of Xelson's great victory, October 21, 1805, when he de- 
feated the combined French and Spanish fleets under Ville- 
neuve and Gravina. Xelson had twenty-seven ships of the 
line and four frigates, while the allies mustered thirty-three 
sail of the line and seven frigates. Nelson was mortally 
wounded in the engagement, but survived for a sufficient time 
to become aware of his triumph. Trafalgar Square, in London, 
with its carved lions and great shaft surmounted by a figure of 
the one-armed hero, bears witness to the estimation in which 
the triumph is held by England. At Cape Trafalgar the Afri- 
can coast has disappeared, and the diminutive steamer tosses 
like a cork on the broad Atlantic. 

At length the domes of the cathedral of Cadiz came in sight, 
and at four in the afternoon the anchor was dropped in the fine 
harbor. A party of soldiers immediately boarded the steamer 
and captured the luggage, which they took ashore to the aduana. 
There we repaired, and liberated the trunks by submitting to 
an examination. Xo conveyance meets the traveller, and he 
is therefore obliged to walk to the hotel in the rear of the para- 
sites who earn' the luggage. Next he is ushered into a room 
which overlooks a court, and has no ventilation at night, as 



294 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the doors must necessarily be closed. The Cadiz hotels are all 
constructed upon this plan. Having been warned invariably 
to inquire the rate in Spanish hotels, we are told fifty reales 
each. At first the amount seems startling, but then a reale is 
only five cents. In Spain the price is always "so much per 
day," a VAmericaine, except the early coffee and candles and 
service and soap, and whatever other extras the proprietor's 
ingenuity can devise. 

Cadiz is one of the brightest, cleanest, prettiest cities in the 
south of Europe. The narrow streets are scrupulously free 
from dirt or offal ; the houses are tall and dotted with mira- 
dors, or balconies ; the vestibules, with their Moorish azulejos, 
or colored tiles, and the patios, or courts of the houses, with 
their wealth of flowers, are very enticing; the Alameda and 
Delicias, the sea-shore garden and promenade, are most en- 
couraging to luxurious lounging ; the bay is broad, well pro- 
tected, and not without life and movement ; the Catedral de 
la Santa Cruz is new and spacious, but devoid of any claim to 
renown ; the Museo contains an indifferent collection of paint- 
ings; the Plaza de Mina every evening attracts the pretty 
sefloritaSj carefully guarded by their mothers: but beyond 
these there is little to be noted. The old Capucine convent 
contains Murillo's " Marriage of St. Catharine," which cost 
him his life, in 1682, by a fall from the scaffold while finish- 
ing the picture. The commerce, population, and vigor of 
Cadiz are admitted to have been in a state of decline for a 
considerable period, an unfortunate condition attributed to the 
unfavorable influences of the national government. 

Railroad communication is open from Cadiz to the interior, 
and by it we went northward for fifty miles to Jerez, the seat 
of the sherry vineyards. That place is a flourishing, white- 
washed city of fifty thousand people, which owes its position 
entirely to the wine product. Much of the activity even in 
that trade is due to the presence and energy of foreigners, by 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 295 

whom several of the largest establishments are owned. The 
long white buildings known as bodegas, which are the store- 
houses of the wine, often contain thousands of botas, or butts, 
filled with the rich beverage. Some of them also have 
casks so immense that they are dignified with names, as " The 
Twelve Apostles/' "Napoleon," and "Isabel II." The last 
was so named in honor of a visit from that dethroned queen. 

Sherry wines are divided into dry and sweet, and these two 
are subdivided according to color, location, and flavor. Under 
dry sherry are classed the pale, or amber, and the brown, or 
golden, the latter being the Amontillado. Sweet sherry in- 
cludes Pajarete, Moscatel, and Pedro-Gimenez, the names of 
the localities whence the grapes come. Age darkens sweet 
and lightens dry sherries. The country in the vicinity of 
Jerez is beautiful with its broad fields of green vines, set out 
at intervals of between four and five feet. The stalks of the 
vines are generally from two to three inches in diameter ; and 
towards the close of April, when we saw them, none of the 
bushes will measure more than a yard in height, the pruning 
operation having taken place in March. 

Within a few minutes' ride of Jerez the Andalusian annual 
live-stock fair was in progress, and for three days the entire 
district donned its holiday attire. The display included the 
usual booths, flags, side-shows, beggars, flocks of very woolly 
sheep, hobbled horses, braying donkeys clipped like so many 
frescos, and every type of Andalusian humanity. The chief 
incentive for a stranger to visit the grounds is to observe the 
people; but the attendance was so meagre as to be highly dis- 
appointing. Our cicerone stated that the exhibition would be 
better patronized after dark, when music and promenading 
were in order. About three in the afternoon the few persons 
at the fair, like ourselves, took the return train to Jerez, as 
four o'clock was the designated hour for the greatest of all 
spectacles in which a Spaniard delights, — the bull-fight. 



296 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

When the train reached the city, from every quarter the 
people were tending towards the Plaza de Toros, or amphithe- 
atre, where the corrida de toros is given. We experienced no 
difficulty in securing chairs in the choicest loge, or division, 
adjoining the presidential box, where all could be seen with- 
out contact with the excited multitude. The Slite of the coun- 
try from Seville to Cadiz sat in the more pretentious sections, 
and the ensemble was as brilliant as it was exciting. As the 
bull-fight is the great Spanish national fiesta, the next chapter 
will be devoted exclusively to its history and description. 

The route northward from Jerez is through Lebrija, where 
there is an old Moorish castle, and Utrera, which is yet en- 
closed by walls erected in the time of the Moors. Seville is 
reached in three hours, after crossing one of the richest coun- 
tries in the world for producing corn, olive-oil, and wine. 

So famed is proud old Seville for its splendor and revelry, 
romance and intrigue, that the sensation of anticipation is 
keenly aroused as the dilatory Spanish train rolls into the 
station. It is interesting to compare the different impressions 
which are experienced on approaching celebrated localities for 
the first time. London and Paris are of one class; Venice 
and St. Petersburg of another; Rome and Athens more ex- 
citing still ; and Jerusalem the most profound of all. Seville 
can scarcely be grouped with any of these, but inspires expec- 
tations of its own. Then it must be remembered that this 
drama of "the feast, the song, the revel" is still upon the 
stage, although the scenery and appointments may display less 
brilliancy and elegance. Nor are the actors what they were, 
yet at times the glow of the past is not entirely wanting. 
The festivities of Holy Week, for instance, congregate in the 
city between one and two hundred thousand visitors. Pro- 
cessions, the dance, the bull-fight, the play, and love-making 
are the order of the day. In fact, the celebration of this great 
festival at Seville is but second in magnitude to that at Rome. 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 297 

The streets of Seville are ordinarily quiet enough during the 
day, but they are especially so in warm weather. During the 
summer months the rich and the poor alike indulge in the 
siesta from noon until three or four in the afternoon, and 
afterward, in the evening, the streets and cafes are thronged. 
The latter are very extensive, and, although filled every night, 
a stranger cannot but wonder whence the proprietors derive 
their profit. Scores of people pass the entire evening at the 
tables simply upon the claim that each has ordered a single 
cup of cafe noir or a miniature glass of cordial. Perhaps a 
man may be accompanied by his wife, when he will amuse her 
with a glass of water or an occasional cigarette. Then a few 
venture on a wineglass of water-ice, or a tasteless decoction 
which is an indifferent substitute for a very weak lemonade, 
without including ice. What these people may have for din- 
ner is a question ; but their evening treat is very slender, as 
viewed from the overfed American standpoint. 

Sunday is the gala day, and after mass the city is devoted 
to pleasure. Should no bull-fight be announced, there is the 
drive on the Delicias and a delightful walk along the Guadal- 
quivir, or in the gardens of the Duke of Montpensier's ele- 
gant palace of San Telmo. The duke is a son of Louis 
Philippe of France, father of the late Queen Mercedes, and 
husband of the only sister of the dethroned Queen Isabella II. 
Sunday evening is the favorite above all others for the cafe, 
the theatre, and the dancing-hall. Those who wish can then 
hear in one saloon twenty pair of castanets clattering in unison 
with the graceful flections of the fandango, or something sim- 
ilar. For such an entertainment, or for a walk on the street, 
the young ladies are always attended by their mothers. The 
sterner parent is rarely seen with them, and young men are 
seldom permitted as escorts. Thus the people of Andalusia 
delight to live, making pleasure the chief object of life, and 
rendering business subordinate to the purpose. Indolence is 

20 



298 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the monarch of the province, yet beggars are not especially 
numerous, and the narrow, crooked streets and whitewashed 
houses are surprisingly clean. The stranger's first impulse is 
to accept nothing in extenuation of this epidemic laziness, but 
it soon becomes understood as the natural result of the climate. 
Early as it was in the warm period, we experienced the ener- 
vating influence of the high temperature ; and as the season 
advances the heat is intensified, thereby stagnating everything 
that requires exertion. Whatever may be urged against this 
lethargic existence from a progressive point of view, it cannot 
be disputed that the Andalusians are as happy as any commu- 
nity on the globe. As happiness is the aim of all temporal 
efforts, it is a philosophical problem whether these people 
are as wise as a nationality that risks health, tempts insanity, 
and destroys the faculty of enjoyment in the breathless race 
to the goal of riches. 

One of the first movements of the tourist after his arrival 
in Seville is to ascend the Giralda, or old Moorish tower, which 
is now utilized for the cathedral bells. It was built at the close 
of the twelfth century as a Moslem minaret, and measures 
three hundred and fifty feet in height. The ascent is accom- 
plished by paved inclined planes, which render the task of 
climbing much easier than by steps. Many bells, great and 
small, surmount the tower, and so indefatigable are the ringers 
that it is almost impossible to discover a half-hour free from 
the deafening chimes. The view, however, amply compensates 
for any annoyance, as it explains the topography of the city, 
the course of the Guadalquiver, and the broad plain which 
surrounds Seville in all its luxuriance. Directly below is the 
sumptuous, wide-spreading roof of the great cathedral, one of 
the grandest in Europe. 

Descending to visit this stately pile, we find it a beautiful 
specimen of the Gothic order, although much of the tracery 
has suffered from age. The present cathedral occupies a site 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 299 

successively devoted to a temple to Venus, a mosque, and a 
former cathedral. The work was commenced in 1402, and 
partially completed for occupation in 1519. The raised plat- 
form upon which the buildings rest is five hundred and eighty- 
two feet in length and four hundred and twenty in width ; and 
the structure itself is four hundred and thirty-eight feet long 
by two hundred and eighty-two broad. The remainder of the 
space is occupied by a garden called the Court of Oranges, a 
portion of the Royal Chapel, and the Chapter. There are 
nine entrances to the church, and all of different styles and 
periods. The interior is massive and marked in its simplicity, 
but the effect is injured by the usual Spanish fault of placing 
the high altar and the choir in the centre. Thirty-six pillars, 
fifteen feet each in diameter, divide the interior into seven 
naves, and along the two sides are thirty-seven chapels. The 
vaulted roof, the choir, and the high altar are of profusely 
elaborate wood carving, and the pavement is of alternate black 
and white marble blocks. Ninety-three Gothic windows, set 
with painted glass, serve to illuminate and heighten the won- 
drous internal grandeur. The Royal Chapel contains the 
remains of the sainted king, Fernando III., Beatrix his wife, 
Alfonso the Learned, and Dona Maria de Padilla, the mistress 
of Pedro the Cruel. Ferdinand Columbus, the second son of 
America's discoverer, lies under a slab in another quarter of 
the building. There are several paintings of note in the vari- 
ous chapels, the principal of which is Murillo's celebrated " St. 
Anthony of Padua/' with the infant Jesus descending to him 
amid a group of cherubs. 

While the cathedral of Seville is sufficiently impressive to 
attract even the surfeited traveller, not less interesting is the 
novel and beautiful Alcazar, or Moorish palace. This brilliant 
edifice is a relic of the supremacy of the Moors in Seville and 
Granada. It was commenced late in the twelfth century, and 
continued to receive additions under successive rulers. St. 



300 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Ferdinand occupied it after his conquest of Seville, and later 
Christian monarchs either extended it or ordered repairs. The 
gardens, which now form a conspicuous feature, were added by 
the Emperor Charles V. The liberality of the Duke of Mont- 
pensier lately restored the entire structure, although the work- 
manship is, in many places, an indifferent imitation of the 
costly original. Throughout the several apartments are found 
the exquisite arabesque stucco tracery in bright colors, wain- 
scotings of azulejos, or glazed tiles, slender marble columns 
with delicate capitals, Cufic inscriptions, marble fountains, 
beautiful horseshoe arches, and other distinctive features of 
the Moresque. The leading apartments are called the Hall 
of Ambassadors, the Court of the Maidens, the Hall of the 
Prince, the Baths of Padilla, and the oratorio. As a full 
description of the Alhambra — a similar palace — will soon 
follow, the Alcazar will be passed with this brief outline. A 
palace belonging to the Duke of Medina Celi, and styled the 
" House of Pilate," is also a building of the Moorish style, 
which dates from the sixteenth century. It was erected by the 
Marquis of Tarifa on his return from a visit to the Holy Land, 
and its design was intended to be a duplicate of Pilate's house 
at Jerusalem. Where the zealous marquis obtained his draft 
of the Poman governor's palace is rather a mystery, unless his 
imagination supplied the details upon inferences drawn from 
the Bible. 

The houses of Seville resemble in many particulars those of 
Damascus, although inferior in richness. They are rarely more 
than three stories in height, and most of them have but two 
floors. Whitewash is the favorite exterior finish ; the vestibules 
are adorned with enamelled tiles ; shaded miradores, or small 
balconies, are attached to every available window; and the cool 
patios, or inner courts, are most inviting with their marble 
pavements, sprinkling fountains, and refreshing flowers. 

In the Jewish quarter, close to the city wall, is the humble 



ANDALVSIAN SPAIN. 301 

whitewashed house in which Murillo lived and died. One of 
the walls, which faces on a small plaza, contains a tablet an- 
nouncing the fact. Bartolomene Esteban Murillo was born 
near Seville, baptized January 1, 1618, and died April 3, 1682. 
His genius was developed under Juan del Castillo without the 
customary sojourn in Italy. The artist's great power was in 
the command of color, and especially in the perfection of 
human flesh. His later pictures are noted for the softness of 
the outlines and an exquisite atmospheric effect. The most 
renowned of his works are religious subjects, — sainted monks 
and Immaculate Conceptions, — but his studies from life, such as 
his " Beggar Boys at Munich," are unsurpassed in any school. 
Velazquez and Murillo rival each other for the highest place 
in Spanish art, but the latter had no Philip IV. to lift him 
into eminence with the cross of Santiago for flattering homely 
royalty by incessantly painting its portraits. Diego Eodriguez 
Velazquez de Silva was also a native of Seville. He was born 
in 1599, and died at Madrid in 1660, after having been court 
painter, as above indicated. 

Seville boasts of having been the birthplace in ancient times 
of the Koman Emperors Hadrian, Theodosius, and Trajan ; 
and of Magellan, the navigator, in the fifteenth century. Here 
also, on the 31st of May, 1252, died Ferdinand III., the 
mighty monarch who was canonized, in 1671, by Pope 
Clement X. The house in which Byron's Don Juan lived 
is still shown, and the last but not the least curiosity is the 
veritable shop occupied by " II Barbiere di Siviglia," on the 
corner of the Plaza de Santo Tomas. It is known as the 
" Saloon Figaro," and any one desiring a shave may still be 
accommodated there. The customer must support the basin 
under his chin while Figaro's successor produces the requisite 
lather, but no one is subjected to the operatic ordeal of being 
nearly choked with a tightly-drawn towel. The Tobacco 
Factory is one of the sights of Seville, its extent being no less 



302 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

than six hundred and sixty-two feet long and five hundred 
and twenty-four wide. Upwards of five thousand girls are 
there employed, and it requires a young man of more than 
ordinary bravery and recklessness to venture among that army 
of giggling creatures. Lord Dundreary would say, "They 
are shocking — positively shocking." 

The Academia Escuela de Bellas Artes, or Gallery of Paint- 
ings, ranks next to that of Madrid as the richest in Spain. 
It occupies a secularized church and convent, and was formed 
only as late as 1838. Several of Murillo's principal works 
are included in the collection, but it is remarkable that not a 
single Velazquez appears in the catalogue. Zurbaran, Castillo, 
Cespecles, Pacheco, Roelas, and Herrera — all conspicuous names 
in Spanish art — are more or less fully represented ; but on the 
other hand, Ribera, the Spagnoletto of the Italians, is among 
the missing. The most celebrated of the Murillos, and the 
alleged favorite of the painter, is the large " St. Thomas of 
Yillanueva Giving Alms." His patron saints of Seville, 
Justa and Rufina, holding a model of the Giralda, or cathedral 
belfry, is another gem. Three Immaculate Conceptions are 
also by the same renowned hand, and two of them are fine 
specimens of his vaporoso style. The church and hospital 
of the Caridad is also a small museum of valuable Murillos, 
among the number being his celebrated " Moses Striking the 
Rock," and the " Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes." Lastly, 
in the portrayal of Seville, it remains to mention a living 
picture in the form of the faithful night-watchman, who tire- 
lessly patrols the streets with a lantern strapped to his belt and 
a long spear in his hand. While writing to home and friends 
we frequently heard his cry, and more than once when the 
candles were burning close to the sockets, — 

" All hail, Mary, mother of Jesus ! Two o'clock and a 
cloudless morning !" 

Until very recently the journey from Seville to Granada 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 303 

was of a circuitous and tedious character, implying either long 
distances by diligence or a voyage by steamer from Cadiz to 
Almeria. The completion of the railroad from Utrera, through 
Osuna, to Bobadilla has now reduced the time of transit to 
about ten hours. Unfortunately, the grades on the new divi- 
sion are entirely too abrupt and the rails much too light for 
rapid travel. At times during our trip the pace was little 
better than a walk, including more than one enforced halt. 
The schedule also called for a change of cars at La Boda, and 
one at Bobadilla; but the repast and the sherry at the latter 
were ample compensation for the inconvenience. The scenery 
is a succession of the glorious landscapes for which the prov- 
ince of Andalusia is fitly renowned. 

Midnight was approaching when we emerged from the sta- 
tion at Granada and took places in the coach of the Washing- 
ton Irving Hotel. After duly waiting, it transpired that we 
were the only travellers, and slowly the sleepy horses toiled 
up the hill to the Gardens of the Alhambra, in which the 
hotel is most charmingly located. A stout packet of letters 
from Paris awaited us, and eagerly were they conned while we 
were at supper in our cosey sitting-room. From the windows 
of the latter we caught the first glimpse of the Alhambra on 
the following morning. After a refreshing sleep and a liberal 
breakfast, we were impatient to climb the paths to the storied 
fortress. Hurrying forward, we were soon beside the open 
belfry upon the picturesque old Torre (tower) de la Vela, 
where Cardinal Mendoza stood on the 2d of January, 1492, 
when he raised the flag of the Catholic kings, and in his great 
joy exclaimed, " Granada is taken ! Granada is taken !" Four 
days later Ferdinand and Isabella made their triumphal entry 
through the very Gate of Justice which we had just passed to 
reach the eyrie of matchless views. But the enthusiasm in- 
spired by a recollection of the magnetic surroundings has 
anticipated the proper order of commencement. 



304 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

Returning, then, to the days when the Alhambra was first 
conceived, we have a fragmentary account of a Moorish fort- 
ress and palace which stood upon this site in the ninth century. 
They were erected by Suwar Ibn Hamdun, and known as the 
KaPat Alhamra, or Red Castle. These structures were en- 
larged by Badis Ibn Habus, in the middle of the eleventh 
century. The present enclosure and palace of the Alhambra 
were commenced about 1248, by Ibn-1-Ahmar, otherwise Mo- 
hammed, the son of Alhamar. There are inscriptions on some 
of the walls which also call him Abre Abdallah, or the father of 
Abdallah. The citadel now received the name of Kasru-1-hamra, 
or the Sultan's Palace. Mohammed II., the son and successor 
of the founder, continued the work and greatly embellished the 
royal residence. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, 
Yoosef Abul Hagig, or Yoosef I., a sovereign noted for his 
immense wealth, proceeded to enlarge and complete the Al- 
hambra on a scale of magnificence which knew no bounds and 
astonished the world. This occurred between 1333 and 1348 ; 
and the palace alone was upwards of four hundred feet in 
length and two hundred and fifty in breadth. The last Moor- 
ish owner of the Red Castle was the unfortunate Boabdil, w T ho, 
after long being a vassal, bowed to the victorious arms of Fer- 
dinand and Isabella in 1492. With a sadness which excited 
the sympathy of his conquerors, Boabdil departed from the 
Alhambra by the gateway in La Torre de los Siete Suelos, or 
The Tower of the Seven Floors. His last request was that no 
one should ever after be permitted to pass through the same 
gate, and in compliance with his wish it was walled up for- 
ever. It is now much ruined, having been mined by the 
French in conjunction with others when they evacuated after 
the occupation of 1810-12. The Hotel de los Siete Suelos — 
directly opposite the Washington Irving — stands close to this 
historic tower. 

During the reign of Charles I. of Spain, the Emperor of 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 305 

Germany, — Carlos Quinto, — 1516 to 1556, many of the decay- 
ing portions of the Alhambra were rebuilt in the style of his 
time, including an entirely new Tuscan palace, which was to 
eclipse in grandeur all the Moorish structures. An earth- 
quake shock, which rent the wall before its completion, it is 
said, caused the superstitious monarch to abandon the work. 
A large section of the Moorish fabric was razed to afford 
room for this innovation, and to-day it stands roofless and 
massive, but in unpleasant contrast w T ith its light and graceful 
oriental neighbor. The Alhambra continued to be at inter- 
vals a royal residence, until the time of Philip V. and Elisa- 
betta of Parma, early in the last century. During the next 
hundred years or more the deserted city was controlled by 
governors, who not only made no effort to check the progress 
of ruin, but on the contrary readily sold relics to those who 
were disposed to purchase. Washington Irving, however, 
mentions an honorable exception in the case of the official in 
charge during his sojourn in the spring and summer of 1829. 
Thus the now venerated Alhambra remained until the visit of 
Queen Isabella II. in 1862. Its grandeur, even in the shroud 
of ruin, so impressed the sovereign that she decreed its resto- 
ration in a maimer commensurate with her notorious lavish- 
ness. The work was intrusted to Senor Don Rafael Contreras, 
a native of Granada, whose fidelity of purpose and intimate 
knowledge of Moorish architecture have resulted in achieve- 
ments which excite admiration and surprise. The process of 
renewal is still continued ; but now little remains to be done 
to the interior. The walls yet show many dilapidated sections, 
but already much has been accomplished to check the progress 
of disintegration. 

Following this condensed outline of the history of the Al- 
hambra, a brief description will not be out of place. Picture 
a precipitous hill, partly surrounded at a short distance by 
mountains, and overlooking a luxuriant plain and the city of 



306 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Granada. The summit of this hill is an irregular plateau, 
around which extends a wall of composition bricks (flint, 
earth, and lime) nearly two thousand four hundred and fifty 
feet long, thirty feet high, and six feet thick. The breadth of 
the enclosure is close to six hundred and seventy-five feet. The 
presence of iron oxide as a conspicuous ingredient imparts to 
the soil that vermilion hue which enters into the walls and 
accounts for the appellation of Red Castle. At intervals in 
the walls are buttresses and towers having specific names, such 
as the Torres de las Infantas, de Comares, and de los Picos ; 
and titles were also given to the several gates. Within the 
enclosure are gardens, courts, palaces, fountains, wells, towers, 
a small village, a parish church, and the secularized convent 
of San Francisco. Outside the walls, on one side, are the 
river Genii and the Gardens of the Alhambra, consisting of 
grand elm-forests, drives, and walks. On the opposite quar- 
ter are the creek dignified as the river Darro and a portion of 
Granada. Most of the city lies below the western end ; and 
on the east, separated by a ravine, is the Moorish palace of 
Generalife, the summer villa of the sultans. In the dis- 
tance the Sierra Nevada meets the sky with its snowy crests ; 
the luxuriant Vega spreads for a circumference of thirty-seven 
leagues, with its forests and roads, fields and white houses ; in 
every direction the line of vision is bounded by ranges of hills; 
and the tropical sky of Andalusia bathes the panorama with 
its azure glow. The chimes of the stately cathedral lull the 
senses to untroubled meditation and repose, and the enraptured 
beholder wonders if this is not Paradise. Words and pencils 
are utterly impotent to act as substitutes for nature and the 
eyes. Washington Irving, in his unrivalled sketch from the 
Tower of Comares, endeavored to delineate the picture in lan- 
guage; but his graceful lines are found to be inadequate when 
the eye has become familiar with this Elysium. If, then, the 
popular author of the " Tales of the Alhambra" failed to bend 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 307 

this landscape to his gifted pen, to what purpose shall any 
follower of his footprints undertake the task? 

Within the Alhambra the interest is mainly centred in the 
Moorish palace, now much reduced from its pristine propor- 
tions. Entering by the contracted portal at the side of Carlos 
Quinto's intrusive pile, we are almost at once ushered into the 
beautiful Moorish court of the Alberca, or Fish-pond. This 
patio is one hundred and forty feet in length by seventy-four 
in width, and has in the centre a large rectangular pond sup- 
plied with gold-fish. The pavement is of marble, a hedge of 
myrtles extends the length of the two long sides of the basin, 
and at each end is a gallery supported by a colonnade. From 
this court is seen the Tower of Comares, which was named in 
honor of its builders. Passing through a hall, the visitor is 
next introduced to the most celebrated section of the palace, — 
the Court of the Lions. It derives its name from twelve mar- 
ble lions, carved in antique heraldic design, which surround a 
fountain in the centre. A jet issues from the mouth of each, 
in addition to the main pipe above the second basin. In 
honor of the anniversary of the conquest of Granada in 1492, 
this fountain plays on the 2d of January, and only on that 
day of the year. The Court of the Lions is a most exqui- 
site specimen of the Moresque style. It has one hundred and 
twenty-four slender marble columns, arcades of filigree work, 
walls of stucco diaper, two pavilions of the most delicate 
tracery, complex stalactite arches, and a wainscoting of azulejos, 
or bright-colored oriental tiles. Adjoining this great court are 
the Hall of the Two Sisters and the Hall of the Abencer- 
rages. The marble floors in these and other rooms of the 
palace have shallow channels leading from the fountains, that 
the water may distribute its grateful coolness to other apart- 
ments. The former was so named on account of two immense 
duplicate slabs in the floor. Its stalactite cupola is a marvel 
of intricate stucco-work, highly colored and gilded. A foun- 



308 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

tain occupies the centre of the pavement; two exedrse branch 
off for couches ; and extending around the top of the walls are 
three latticed windows, which communicate with rooms above. 
The Hall of the Abencerrages derives its title from having 
been the scene of Boabdil's traditional massacre of thirty-six 
of the chiefs of that family. Like its vis-a-vis, it is noticeable 
for a dome of miniature vaults, stalactites, and brilliant color- 
ing. Here, as nearly everywhere in the palace, we find the 
Cufic inscription — 

" There is no conqueror but God." 

Extending along one end of the Court of the Lions is the 
Hall of Justice, or apartment in which the caliph granted au- 
diences and announced decisions. It consists of a long gallery 
divided by arches, and profusely adorned. The effect of 
standing at one end and allowing the eye to enjoy the enchant- 
ing perspective is to imagine it is some fairy grotto. Truly, 
this fantastic Moorish architecture must be seen to be under- 
stood. Without the acquaintance of the eye, it is impossible 
to conceive the extravagant yet exquisite ornamentation. It 
suggests a realization of the Arabian Nights, the picture of a 
tale of old which has become a reality, but still to be viewed 
as a fanciful creation, with no thought of utilizing or dupli- 
cating it for present use. It is something to be wondered at, 
to be admired, to be seen by travellers, and to be associated 
with fairy stories and legends and romance. Even the most 
inane lounger or modern Timon can be warmed to a few hours' 
interest by its absorbing fascination. Half a score of artists 
before their easels sketching; a reader here and there ensconced 
in some arch or nook ; a solitary devotee of nature enjoying 
the view from a crumbling tower; an idler reclining on a 
stone bench in a garden redolent with fragrance — these are the 
daily visitors to the Alhambra. 

We might resume the interrupted tour of the palace, and 



AXDALUSIAN SPAIN. 309 

behold many more gorgeous apartments. Conspicuous among 
them is the magnificent Hall of Ambassadors, with its lofty 
gilded larch wood dome, delicate stucco walls, rich floor, Mos- 
lem inscriptions, and cosey balconies, which command views 
of the valley of the Darro, — the very kingly hall where the 
extinct sultan once sat upon his throne amid the ambassadors 
of other powers. Next we may visit a suite of antique 
rooms of European origin, but built on a Moorish arcade and 
overlooking the secluded garden of Lindaraxa, the chosen 
abode of our Washington Irving, whose name is inseparably 
associated with the Alhambra. Then we have the Sala de los 
Baiios, which was the luxurious oriental bath of the sultan and 
sultana, a series of " cool halls and grottos, where the glare 
and heat of the day are tempered into a soft, mysterious light 
and a pervading freshness." The old mosque was converted 
into a chapel by Charles V., and sadly shorn of its Moresque 
beauties by the mistaken zeal of Ferdinand and Isabella. 
Lastly, we may wander through the Tocador, or boudoir of 
the queen, the Chamber of Secrets, the Hall of Escutcheons, 
and other minor apartments. Purposely locked in a dark 
room, where it cannot be seen without feeing the vigilant cus- 
todian, is the famed Alhambra Vase, a superb specimen of 
Moorish ceramic art, which dates from 1320, and measures 
four feet three inches high. The ground is white, and the 
ornaments are of blue and gold. It bears the inscription, 
" Eternal Salvation." 

Near the palace is a little gem called the Mosque. The 
horse-shoe arch over its portal gleamed with golden arabesque 
before stunted monkish Christianity declared such beauties an 
"abomination," and substituted pure Inquisition whitewash. 
The niche within on the side towards Mecca has had its tints 
revived since religion became more tolerant. Returning from 
the Mosque, around the great palace of Carlos Quinto, we 
come upon the Plaza de los Algibes, or Place of the Cisterns, 



310 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

so called from the large subterranean tanks, whose waters are 
reached by a draw-well in one corner. Here, looking to the 
west, or away from the palace, we see the Alcazaba, or castel- 
lated fortress, whose once puissant towers have surrendered to 
the inroads of dismantling time. On the left, as we stand 
facing the castle, is the Puerta del Vino, or Wine Gate, which 
was the entrance to a former building used for the storage of 
the royal beverages. The horse-shoe arch proclaims its Moor- 
ish origin, it having been at first a Moslem chapel. 

Descending from the Place of the Cisterns, we pass out by 
the massive Puerta de Justicia, or Gate of Justice, and instinct- 
ively turn to note its design. Once more the horse-shoe arch, 
sprung from two centres, greets the eye, with the square tower 
continuing to a height of sixty-two feet. On the keystone of 
the outer arch is a carved open hand, and in the same place on 
the inner or vestibule horse-shoe is a huge key. These mystic 
tokens of El-Islam are variously interpreted, but always with 
that hesitation which is a confession of uncertainty. Mr. 
Irving learned they were emblematic respectively of doctrine 
and faith. Another authority states that the hand " is consid- 
ered, according to some writers," as typical of the five Mussul- 
man commandments, and the key of the power of the Prophet 
to unlock the gates of heaven. A third explanation is that the 
Moors believe a hand so placed will avert "the evil eye." 
Finally, to close the list, is a Moorish legend that the gate 
would never be opened to the Christians until the hand reached 
a distance of nearly twenty-five feet and grasped the key ! The 
stony digits have yet to move, but the presence of an image of 
the Virgin in a niche indicates a change of masters in defiance 
of the unfulfilled miracle. These symbols were rather a sur- 
prise, as we had seen nothing like them in the Mohammedan 
countries of the East. The presence of the hand over doors 
is said to be customary in Morocco, which seems not unlikely 
from its position at the Alhambra. The Gate of Justice de- 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 311 

rives its name from a court which held its sittings in the porch 
for the trial of unimportant cases. 

Over towards the river Genii, on a hill not far from the 
Alhambra, is a picturesque, partly-ruined fortress called the 
Vermilion Towers. jSothina; is known of its orioin, although 
there are evidences that it belongs to a period anterior to the 
Red Castle. Across the ravine, on a hill to the northeast from 
the Alhambra, is the Generalife, or summer villa of the Moor- 
ish sultans of Granada. Its elevated position is such as to 
afford views of the Alhambra and the entire plain. The pre- 
vailing style of the buildings is Moresque, but nearly all the 
rich coloring has disappeared under that Spanish monomania, 
whitewash. AYhile greatly inferior in style to the Alhambra, 
the Generalife is not without graceful specimens of Moorish 
architecture ; and the hanging gardens we will never forget. 
So great a profusion of roses and other flowers ; so ingenious 
a training and clipping of yew-trees ; so luxurious a display 
of box-wood borders; so unique a series of cascades; and 
so pretty a girl for a gardener's daughter, will rarely be seen. 
The Generalife is the property of the Marquis Pallavicini, 
of Genoa, whose renowned villa near that city is a leading 
attraction for strangers. The marquis is a scion of the Italian 
Grimaldi-Gentili family, which is descended from both Chris- 
tian and Moorish princes, one of the latter having espoused the 
cause of Ferdinand and Isabella in the conquest of Granada. 

The once-envied city of Granada, with its four hundred 
thousand population, has degenerated into an inert provincial 
capital of one hundred thousand people. The streets, with 
few exceptions, are narrow and crooked, the shops small, and 
the buildings generally have the air of transition from Moor- 
ish to Spanish. The Alcaiceria, or Moors' silk bazaar, still 
retains its oriental lineaments, but it was greatly reduced in 
area by a fire in 1842. The Zacatin, or Moorish market, is said 
to have much of its original appearance, although it has been 



312 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

practically renewed from time to time. The quarter known 
as the Albacin was distinguished in Moslem days for its splen- 
did houses and gardens, but it has now become the haunt of 
the poorest classes, including many gypsies. The latter people 
assemble at a small hall near the two hotels, and give exhibitions 
of dancing, singing, and guitar-playing. Their vocal music 
has the same intonation and peculiar time as that now heard 
among the Arabs. The women of these tribes are the true 
gitanas of Spain, Bohemians by extraction, but not always so 
pretty as Maritana. The square now called the Plaza de la 
Constitucion is the celebrated Bivarambla, which was the 
scene of the Moorish tournaments when Granada was in its 
glory. 

Italy and Spain are not only similar in language, but also 
in the inevitable costly cathedral ; and it is impossible to de- 
scribe a city in either country without including that edifice. 
Granada has one of Grseco-E-oman style, and of enormous 
proportions. It was commenced in 1529 and completed in 
1629, — a very reasonable period for the purpose in Europe. 
The sombre interior is divided into five naves by massive 
pillars, but the effect has been impaired by placing the choir 
and the high altar in the centre. Adjoining the cathedral is 
the Capilla de los Reyes, or Royal Chapel, a sanctuary which 
an American enters with no usual sensation. There, under 
one of the most superbly carved mausoleums in Europe, are 
the remains of Ferdinand of Aragon, and Ysabel of Castile. 
Washington Irving is probably little astray when he designates 
Ferdinand as a "perfidious monarch ;" but it was Queen Isa- 
bella who, confiding in her own counsel, befriended the dis- 
coverer of the New World. " She is," says Lord Bacon, 
"one of the most faultless characters in history; one of the 
purest sovereigns who ever graced or dignified a throne ; who 
was — in all her relations of queen and woman — an honor to 
her sex and the corner-stone of the greatness of Spain." 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 313 

Directly alongside is the equally magnificent tomb of Philip 
of Burgundy and Juana, the demented daughter of Ferdinand 
and Isabella. Taking candles and accompanying a ghostly 
sacristan, we descended into the crypt beneath. In the centre 
of the small vault, on a base of masonry, are two rudely-shaped 
wrought-iron coffins, each riveted with three bands of the same 
metal. One bears the letter "F" and the other "Y," but 
nothing more. Against the wall, on one side, is a similar 
casket containing the remains of Philip, and on the other lies 
Crazy Jane. Philip's coffin is said to be that in which the 
distracted wife carried his body wherever she went, refusing 
to have it interred, and often embracing it in her agony of grief. 
Then the Cartuja, or Carthusian convent, near the city, should 
be mentioned for the astonishing beauty of its decorations of 
turtle-shell, ebony, ivory, gilt, and Sierra Nevada marble. 
Our cicerone stated that it was from this monastery the French 
removed Murillo's " Immaculate Conception," which is now 
one of the glories of the Louvre. 

Through the intervention of our attentive guide, while at 
Granada, we had the gratification of using the identical vol- 
umes of the " Tales of the Alhambra" and the " Conquest of 
Granada" which Washington Irving sent to his faithful at-' 
tendant after their publication. The veritable "officious" 
Mateo Ximenes, " the son of the Alhambra," now an old 
man, was pleased to grant this appreciated indulgence, and 
would probably have done more had the opportunity been 
given him. When our limit of time arrived we bade farewell 
to the Alhambra with the greatest reluctance. Sadly, on the 
day preceding our departure, we took the last " evening's stroll 
up a narrow glen, overshadowed by fig-trees, pomegranates, and 
myrtles, that divides the lands of the fortress from those of 
Generalife," past the Tower of the Infantas, where the " three 
Moorish princesses were shut up by their father, a tyrant king 
of Granada." 

21 



314 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Having learned that Malaga can be summed up in wine and 
grapes, and therefore scarcely worth the long journey on a 
Spanish railroad, upon leaving Granada we directed our course 
towards Cordova. So dilatory was the train that it required 
from eleven in the morning until midnight to accomplish the 
distance between the two cities. Although the road winds 
through Loja, Bobadilla, and Montilla, it must still be con- 
sidered remarkable that any train could have possibly consumed 
so much time. As it was previously remarked, the grades are 
steep, the rails entirely too light, and the driving-wheels slip so 
frequently that every acclivity must be passed at a snail's pace. 
An additional misfortune for the traveller is that the tariff 
appears to be regulated according to the time consumed in the 
journey rather than the distance, as it would be difficult other- 
wise to account for the high fares. In this particular case we 
have the consolation that the country traversed is one of the 
most charming upon the earth's surface. Truly, 

u it is a goodly sight to see 
What Heaven hath done for this delicious land ! 
What fruits of fragrance blush on every tree ! 
What goodly prospects o'er the hills expand!" 

The line of the railway follows the length of the Vega, or 
plain, on which it passes Santa Fe, a town founded as a winter 
camp for the Christian invaders, where Columbus unfolded 
to Isabella his bold project to discover a new world. Here 
fruit of every kind is abundant, corn and sugar-cane flourish, 
the vine yields richly, and the olive-tree is cultivated to an 
extent surpassed by no locality. 

The Montilla mentioned in the itinerary is the seat of the 
product of a dry, white, richly-flavored wine, which has the 
quality of imparting its aroma to all similar vintages with 
which it may be mixed. The familiar Amontillado sherry is so 
called from the resemblance of its flavor to this Montilla wine. 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 315 

At Bobadilla, where thirty minutes are allowed for d inner, 
the wine, which is included, is remarked by travellers as being 
equal to much sold at high prices in the hotels of central 
Europe. Nearly or quite all the fondas of Spain include wine 
in their charge en pension, when it is known as "wine at dis- 
cretion." 

Cordova is situated on the Guadalquivir River, in northern- 
central Andalusia. Formerly it boasted a population of three 
hundred thousand, but it has now become a lifeless provincial 
city of forty thousand. Although Cordova was a place of 
some importance under the Romans as early as two hundred 
years before the Christian era, its greatest prosperity was enjoyed 
after the Moslems of Spain asserted their independence of the 
caliphate of Damascus, about the middle of the eighth century. 
It then became the capital of Moorish Spain, and in the tenth 
or eleventh century attained its crowning magnificence. Thus 
it continued until internal dissensions rendered it an easy con- 
quest for St. Ferdinand, who took possession in 1235. Since 
then, despite every eifort to check decay, Cordova has steadily 
declined, until now the city is interesting only for its relics of 
the past. These, though impressive, are not numerous, and in 
addition to the general dulness of the place is the drawback 
of indifferent hotels and inconsiderate landlords. 

Seeing that their country so sadly needs the revivifying influ- 
ence resulting from the presence of travellers, the policy pursued 
by the Spaniards is, to say the least, most impolitic. Whether 
it be on railroads, in hotels, in giving change, or in attention to 
strangers, the predominant aim is to extort as much as possible 
for the present, regardless of the evil effects of such a reputa- 
tion in the future. Counterfeit money is abundant ; railroad 
officials tender insufficient change in the hurry of procuring 
tickets; porters are never satisfied with the tariff rates; and if 
a price is not arranged before entering a hotel, an overcharge 
is certain to be the result. Even when a distinct understand- 



316 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ing is reached, the bill almost invariably contains unwarranted 
items, which are generally removed upon complaint. Not- 
withstanding these characteristics, every man, from the propri- 
etor down to the porter of the station, considers himself a 
proud caballero, or knightly gentleman, whose privilege as a 
true Spaniard entitles him to overreach strangers and become 
enraged when the proposed victims object. We arrived at the 
Fonda Suiza, or Swiss Hotel, in Cordova, at midnight, as before 
stated, and at that hour only a servant was present to assign 
apartments, and he was unable to furnish the usual required 
statement of charges. The result was that upon receiving the 
bill we were compelled to submit to an overcharge of nearly 
one-half, or encounter a quarrel, and then possibly secure little 
reduction. These experiences are general with travellers, and 
they naturally form no insignificant topic of conversation. 

A wonderful monument of Cordova's past greatness, and 
one which alone repays a visit to the dull town, is the famous 
mosque which St. Ferdinand vainly endeavored to convert 
into a cathedral, — the most stupendous and perfect specimen 
of Moorish religious architecture remaining in the Peninsula. 
Although it has served as a cathedral for more than six cen- 
turies, in wandering through its maze of columns the visitor 
has little thought of Christian associations, so completely does 
every lineament of the structure reflect the days of Moorish su- 
premacy. This sanctuary was commenced by Abdu-r-rahman 
the Great, a.d. 786, and completed in 796 ; but large additions 
were made by subsequent caliphs. The design was intended 
to be an imitation of the Great Mosque of Damascus, and its 
rank in Spain was that of a second Ka'aba. The arabesques 
and other features of the interior decoration were wholly de- 
stroyed by the sainted king's whitewash-brush ; and the addi- 
tion of the high altar and the choir in the centre, as well as 
many chapels in the lateral aisles, has considerably diminished 
the former imposing effect. 



ANDALUSIAN SPAIN. 317 

The exterior of the mosque measures six hundred and forty- 
two feet long, and four hundred and sixty-two wide. The 
walls, which yet show their Moorish origin, are only from 
thirty to sixty feet in height and about six feet in thickness. 
Many towers were built in the walls to strengthen them and 
relieve the monotony. There were formerly sixteen entrances 
with horse-shoe arches highly decorated, but all are walled 
up except one. Although this great portal has been somewhat 
changed in character by Gothic additions, much of its pris- 
tine grandeur yet remains. It faces on a garden called the 
Court of Oranges, on account of the venerable trees which are 
a prominent feature of the enclosure. The belfry is of Chris- 
tian origin and not in harmony with the building. The in- 
terior exhibits a forest of one thousand columns, which form 
nineteen naves one way and twenty-nine the other. Above 
these are innumerable double horse-shoe arches, one being 
placed directly over the other, a plan which seems to neutral- 
ize the want of elevation in so vast a surface, and thereby 
preserves the impression of grandeur. The baseless pillars 
have a variety of composite and oriental capitals, while the 
shafts are of every hue of marble, jasper, porphyry, and gran- 
ite. The latter are all monoliths, and many were presents 
from various sovereigns contemporary with the construction of 
the mosque. The sanctuary containing the mehrab, or niche, 
is a heptagon, whose shell-shaped roof and general interior are 
constructed almost entirely of marble. Its mosaics are superb, 
many being gifts either in a completed state or through the 
loan of artisans from Stamboul. The Christian ornaments 
and alterations are without merit, and of no interest. Occa- 
sionally a mass is heard in progress in one of the forty-five 
chapels, possibly in some remote corner, and with only a dozen 
or more auditors. Cespedes, a noted Spanish painter, is buried 
in front of the Chapel of St. Paul, but no other personage is 
entombed in all that great expanse. 



318 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Near the mosque is a bridge over the Guadalquivir, which 
oriental writers state was originally constructed by Octavius 
Csesar. It has been partly rebuilt at different periods, but 
continues to be known as the Roman bridge. The length is 
divided into sixteen arches, and, as several are partly ruined, 
the whole is quite picturesque. Close by is an old Moorish 
mill and tower, which, in connection with the bridge, forms 
an effective picture of antiquity and decay. The Alcazar, or 
palace of the Moorish caliphs, is unfortunately so far destroyed 
that it must be abandoned as forever lost. The walls and 
gates yet remain, though in a condition of decline; but they 
are not materially different from those of many other cities. 
The residence of the celebrated Carpio family is still shown, 
but it is interesting only from its associations. The only sem- 
blance of life which the city displays in its daily routine is to 
be found on the plaza de mercado, or market-place. There 
the drowsy hucksters sit under large muslin umbrellas, and at 
long intervals a straggler ventures to purchase a loaf of bread 
or a bunch of limp greens. The entire aspect of Cordova is 
that of an expiring city, and, having once wandered through 
its narrow, silent streets, it would create no surprise to hear at 
any moment that the old Moorish capital was dead. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE BULL-FIGHT. 



Xothixg in the popular mind is more closely associated 
with Spain than the bull-fight. To travel in that country 
without witnessing the spectacle would imply the loss of an 
invaluable opportunity to study Spanish life. The people of 
all classes throughout the kingdom are unremitting in their 
enthusiasm for this favorite amusement, and no political or 
social prerogative could be guarded with more zealous de- 
votion. 

This species of gladiatorial contest took its origin at a 
remote period, and long before it assumed its present form 
exhibition combats of one bull against another were not uncom- 
mon. Pictorial sculptures at Beni Hassan and Thebes prove 
the latter to have been among the sports of the Egyptians 
nearly three thousand years before the Christian era. Strabo 
states that the bulls employed on these occasions were carefully 
trained for the purpose, and the encounters generally took 
place in the dromos, or avenue of approach to the temples. 
These displays, however, were probably abandoned under suc- 
ceeding dynasties, as no such representations exist on walls of 
later periods. We have reasonable evidence to assume that 
bull-fights which included men and beasts as combatants, were 
first instituted by the Thessalians more than three hundred 
years before Christ. As a people, they were skilled in horse- 
manship, and the spectacle was not unlike that of modern 
Spain. Julius Csesar is believed to have noticed such exhi- 

319 



320 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

bitions in Thessaly, which led to their appearance in Rome 
about B.C. 45. In later ages they were generally prohibited in 
the Latin empire, both by the emperors and the popes. Gib- 
bon, however, describes a feast celebrated at Rome in 1332, 
which included a bull-fight in the Coliseum, with the Roman 
nobles as participants. The bull-fight was introduced into the 
Spanish peninsula by the Moors in the eighth century, and 
when those people were finally expelled in 1492 by Ferdinand 
and Isabella, Catholic Spain adopted the cruel sport of her 
Mohammedan predecessors. In the sixteenth century Pope 
Pius V. vainly decreed its extinction, and two hundred years 
later Charles III. practically failed to accomplish the same by 
persuasion. Late in the last century Charles IV. suppressed 
the bull-fight, but Joseph Bonaparte soon after restored the 
privilege to ingratiate himself with the nation whose throne 
he had usurped. Since then the ancient diversion has flour- 
ished despite the unanimous condemnation of the outer world. 
The present monarch, Alfonso XII., is said to favor its aboli- 
tion, but such an attempt, it is declared, would be attended 
with the risk of engendering a revolution. 

Bull-fights are popular throughout Spain, but, with the ex- 
ception of Madrid, they are more frequent in the southern 
provinces. In fact, Seville is regarded as the centre of tauro- 
machia. The season extends from the close of Lent to No- 
vember, with Sundays and religious fiestas as the favorite 
days. The Plaza de Toros, or bull-ring, is an extensive hy- 
psethral amphitheatre resembling the Coliseum on a reduced 
scale. The new one at Madrid is located near the driving- 
park, or Gardens of the Buen Retiro, and will seat about fif- 
teen thousand people. That at Seville is an older building, 
situated near the Guadalquivir, and estimated to accommo- 
date from ten to twelve thousand spectators. The stone 
Plaza de Toros of Jerez is credited with a capacity of thirteen 
thousand. The seats are of various grades, and the charges 



THE BULL-FIGHT. 321 

for them range from ten reales (fifty cents) to forty-six reales 
(two dollars and thirty cents). The choicest are those in the 
shade and in the boxes which form the upper tier. Not 1111- 
frequently during holy week in Seville the demand for places 
is such that speculators will realize fifty pesetas (ten dollars) 
for a single ticket. 

The various breeds of Spanish bulls are easily distinguished 
by the practised eye, and the entire interest of the Spaniard is 
centred on the movements of the doomed beast. A savage, 
aggressive toro is an object of admiration, and one of timid 
demeanor, of corresponding reproach. The fiercest of all are 
those of Andalusian blood. The stock of Navarre and the 
Castilian bulls on the Jarama, near Aranjuez, are likewise 
favorites, and the latter are generally used at Madrid. The 
proceeds of the bull-fights are usually devoted to religious or 
charitable purposes ; those of the capital chiefly supporting the 
State hospital. 

The actors in the bull-fights are of four classes : mata- 
dor es, bander illeros, picador es, and chulos, their relative im- 
portance being in the order named. The word torero is a 
general term for bull-fighters on foot, while toreador is com- 
monly applied to those on horseback. Before entering the 
ring a bull-fighter repairs to the chapel or coufessional to be 
prepared for death should the merciless horns chance to reach 
his life. 

Four o'clock in the afternoon is the usual time for the com- 
mencement of the spectacle, and but few seats are vacant w r hen 
that hour approaches. The cheap circles are replete with 
boisterous humanity of both sexes, who loudly vent their im- 
patience in case of delay. During the performance any fail- 
ure of skill is greeted by the lower classes with energetic cries 
of condemnation, many of the epithets used being of an ex- 
tremely vulgar character. The choicer sections contain a bril- 
liant assemblage, the senoritas in full evening toilettes of deli- 



322 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

cate tints, white kid gloves, lace veils, fans, and opera-glasses. 
The seizors wear a suit of black, except a vest of white, and 
pearl-colored gloves. Directly on the opposite side of the 
arena from the toril, or bull-door, is the enclosure reserved for 
the autoridad, or one in authority presiding on the occasion, 
just as a Caesar did of old in the gladiatorial contests. In 
Madrid the king and his suite occupy this box, and the nobility 
cluster in the vicinity. 

A few minutes before the performance opens, the floor of 
the arena is sprinkled to prevent any disturbance of the dust 
during the struggle. When this operation is completed, music 
by the band follows, and the king or the president of the day 
enters the reserved box. The excitement now becomes intense. 
A trumpeter stands awaiting the command to inaugurate the 
exhibition, and but a few seconds elapse before the notes are 
sounded. The band plays a march, a gate swings open, and a 
procession advances towards the royal loge. There it halts, 
and every performer salutes the occupant. The men on foot 
are in the Andalusian costume, richly elaborated, — flat hats, 
embroidered jackets, bright-colored knee-breeches, white 
stockings, and black slippers, and with the hair confined in 
nets. The horsemen are arrayed as Spanish knights of the 
olden time, with long buckskin breeches, under which the 
limbs are protected from injury by cork or tin leggings. The 
spurs of these combatants are provided with most cruel rowels 
to goad the timorous horses. The lance which the picador 
carries is of the usual length for a horseman, but the spear- 
head is purposely too short to inflict a very serious wound. 
The group of performers consists of six chulos on foot, with 
gay mantles, which they carry on the arm ; two matadores in 
green, one with a red-hilted Toledo blade and the other with 
a mantle ; three banderilleros, each with a pair of decorated 
barbed darts called banderillas ; three picador es on blindfolded 
horses and armed with the lance; and, finally, some minor 



THE BULL-FIGHT. 323 

characters in charge of two brightly-caparisoned teams har- 
nessed to crossbars. 

After the salutation the teams withdraw, and the actors 
dispose themselves at various points in the ring. A horseman 
clad in black court costume, who has accompanied the pro- 
cession and is called an alguazil, now gallops over to the box 
containing the authorities to receive the key of the toril, or 
bull-door. This he carries to the person in charge of that 
gate, and then hurriedly withdraws. The trumpet again 
sounds, the tumult becomes intensified, the toril-door opens, 
and the bull dashes into the arena. Upon his flank is a bright 
rosette with long ribbons, the mona, which is the prize of the 
victorious matador. For an instant "the lord of lowing 
herds" halts to survey the situation, but only an instant, and 
then the game of death, commences. One of the picadores, 
mounted on a horse whose ears are filled with tow and whose 
eye towards the bull is covered, takes a position fronting the 
enemy, with his blunt spear in rest. The mighty brute hesi- 
tates a second, lowers his head, and charges. The spear is 
buried in the bull's shoulder, and the unprotected horse rears 
to escape the attack, but the deadly horns gore him, and all 
fall together. The bull's violence is instantly diverted by a 
chulo, who flaunts the red cape, and the picador is quickly ex- 
tricated by vigilant satellites. The attention of a stranger is 
now instinctively directed to the horse, to discover the extent 
of the damage. Perhaps his hip bleeds, or there is a visible 
rent in his chest from which the blood jets forth, or a mass of 
entrails protrudes as he walks. In the first case the wound is 
stanched with clay, and the picador immediately remounts. If 
either of the latter happens, the horse is led towards the exit, 
but before reaching it he staggers and falls, in all probability 
dead. A subordinate called a cachetero then thrusts a stiletto 
into the brain, as though the bull had not wholly completed 
the tragedy. 



324 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Iii the meanwhile the infuriated bovine has been otherwise 
engaged. A chulo or two have flashed their bright-colored 
mantles in his face to madden him, or another picador has 
stood an attack. Then a chulo is pursued, greatly to the de- 
light of the audience, and hastily retreats behind a short fence 
or refuge, built close to the ring and too narrow to admit the 
bull. In some plazas the refuges are entirely wanting, and 
instead the nimble actors leap the first of the two barriers. 
Occasionally the pursuing bull will likewise jump this outer 
fence, and must then be driven from the intervening circle 
back to the arena through a gate especially opened for the 
purpose. 

Time passes, and the bull is wearied and bleeding. A ban- 
derillero now advances with a pair of the banderillas, or barbed 
darts, before mentioned. These instruments are rather less 
than a yard in length, and when necessary to aggravate a 
cowardly bull they are sometimes charged with explosives. 
The banderillas are whisked in the brute's face until he charges, 
which is the result desired. The banderillero quickly steps 
aside, the bull passes, and the javelins are thrust deeply into 
his shoulders, one on each side of the spine. The movement 
is as dexterous as it is dangerous, and never fails to excite a 
shout of admiration. The bull struggles to extricate himself 
from the darts, and perhaps one falls to the ground. A sec- 
ond adept immediately places a second pair in the bleeding 
shoulders, and then still another, making six in all. Now the 
bull is furious, and accordingly a picador again moves into 
position. A charge is made; all fall, and the horse is gored, 
— in all probability killed. The chulos again flaunt their red 
lures, and so the struggle continues until the bull retires some 
distance for a respite. Perhaps he will rest on his haunches, 
or lie upon the ground in utter exhaustion. A cry from the 
audience at this juncture is well understood. The skilled mat- 
ador advances with his red-hilted Toledo blade and scarlet 



THE BULL-FIGHT. 325 

muleta to ask formal permission of the authority to despatch 
the foe. A duel ensues to display the dexterity and grace of 
the espada. Frequently but a single step is necessary to re- 
move him from the approaching horns, so great is this actor's 
composure, and so thorough his mastery of his movements. 
The matador, to employ the technical parlance, " knows when 
the bull is right to kill ;" and finally he deliberately aims a 
thrust which in an instant displays the sword transfixed almost 
to the hilt. If one blade is not sufficient, another sinks to the 
appointed spot. 

"Where his vast neck just mingles with the spine, 
Sheathed in his form the deadly weapon lies. 
He stops — he starts — disdaining to decline ; 
Slowly he falls, amidst triumphant cries, 
"Without a groan, without a struggle, dies." 

The victorious matador salutes the presiding dignitary, and 
Spain's sons and daughters unite in one mighty outburst of 
joy and noise. One of the teams is summoned ; a rope is at- 
tached from the crossbar to the deadly horns ; the whips are 
applied, and the dead monarch of the farm disappears with 
the galloping horses. Nothing is left of him save the blood- 
stained track which his weighty corse has marked on the soil. 
The trumpet again sounds ; the toril-door swings on its hinges, 
and a second bull rushes into the arena. The entertainment 
consists of the death of six bulls, all by the original group of 
men, and is usually of three hours' duration. 

A remarkable fact to be noted is that injuries to the human 
combatants are not frequent, though occasionally one is killed 
and others are maimed. At Madrid we saw a matador thrown 
by the bull immediately after the sword had been fairly driven 
to the hilt. While the man lay upon his breast he received 
three passes from the frantic beast before the mantles of the 
chulos could distract the animal's attention. Strange to relate, 



326 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the unfortunate performer escaped with no greater injury than 
bruises, and, indeed, he evinced a disposition to renew the 
contest; but his companions almost forcibly led him from the 
arena. An instant afterward the bull commenced bleeding at 
the mouth from the internal sword wound, and in less than a 
minute dropped dead. In another case related by a spectator, 
a chulo, in his attempt to escape, slipped when close to the 
barrier. Upon falling the man quickly doubled himself into 
a ball, and, miraculous as it may seem, the bull's horns were 
driven into the wooden fence on each side of the huddled form, 
and the actor was saved. In an instant the lure of a brother 
chulo had diverted a second attack. Once when we were 
present a eachetero struck a dying bull with a stiletto before 
the tenacious vitality was wholly exhausted, and so suddenly 
did the brute resent the wound that the public butcher had 
his nether garment rent by the pursuing horns. 

Words cannot describe the strange and engrossing excite- 
ment which the bull-fight inspires. The brain is probably in a 
whirl of agitation, when suddenly the heart ceases beating for 
an instant, as rider, horse, and bull clash in the deliberate en- 
counter. The sympathy for the poor defenceless horse is with- 
out bounds, and with it comes a flush of indignation that so 
noble an animal should be cruelly butchered to make a Spanish 
holiday. It is true the horses thus devoted to immolation are 
of little value ; but they are nevertheless horses, and their 
wanton slaughter will admit of no justification. The de- 
struction of so many bulls is equally to be condemned, and 
charity for the brute should not be wanting because he employs 
the weapons and exhibits the propensities with which the 
Creator endowed him. The stranger is also impelled to con- 
template the fact that those of the gentler sex, the famed beauty 
of Spain, regard these combats with sufficient partiality to in- 
sure their presence, and to behold with the utmost composure 
a death-stricken horse trailing his vitals before their very eyes. 



THE BULL-FIGHT. 327 

In extenuation it must be considered that their training and 
the traditions of the country pronounce the bull-fight a legit- 
imate amusement. Travellers, however, are almost unanimous 
in their conclusion that pleasure is vainly sought in frequent- 
ing the corrida de toros. Yet 

" Such the ungentle sport that oft invites 
The Spanish maid, and cheers the Spanish swain." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



PORTUGAL. 



The journey to Lisbon from Cordova consumes twenty-four 
hours by the fast train, although the distance is only about four 
hundred miles. The route is a circuitous one, crossing a portion 
of Andalusia and Estremadura, in Spain, and entering Portu- 
gal from Badajoz. The change in the country is very appar- 
ent after leaving Andalusia, as the beauty and fertility of that 
section greatly exceed those of Estremadura. At Belmez, in 
the former province, the apparatus surrounding the lead, coal, 
and iron mines can be seen from the cars. At Medellin, in 
Estremadura, Hernando Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico, was 
born in 1485 in a house which was destroyed by the French. 
Farther on, and near Badajoz, is the dull village of Mon- 
tijo, from which the ex-Empress Eugenie took her title as 
countess. She would scarcely care to return there now, as 
it would be a punishment for even untitled humanity to pass 
a night in any house which the place contains. Badajoz, the 
frontier town of Spain, was the scene of fierce conflicts during the 
Peninsular War, including a sacking by the Duke of Welling- 
ton's troops after its final recapture from the French. Albuera, 
the " glorious field of grief," a battle-ground of the same war, 
is just south of Badajoz. The railroad crosses the dividing 
line between the two countries at a small stream called the 
Cayad, a branch of the river Guadiana. The first Portuguese 
station is Elvas, and there the dark-coated soldiers take the 
luggage from the train and submit it to the form of an exam- 
328 



PORTUGAL. 329 

ination. The town is built on a rugged hill and strongly for- 
tified, it being considered the key to Portugal from the Spanish 
side. For some distance beyond Elvas the hills are covered 
with olive-trees in numbers to excite surprise. The Tagus is 
crossed about sixty-five miles north of Lisbon, and thence 
ouward the railroad follows its course to the journey's end. 

The situation of Lisbon is likened to that of Constantinople 
or Xaples, and from a commercial point of view its position 
is unexcelled. The Tagus, along the city front, is from two 
to four miles wide ; its depth is ample for every tonnage, and 
vessels find a secure anchorage in any part. The city is built 
on rising ground, and although not to be compared with Con- 
stantinople or Naples, it is not without beauty when viewed 
from St. George's Castle, which is above the city, or from 
Cacillas, a small town on the opposite shore of the river. The 
present population is about two hundred and twenty-five 
thousand, much of which has been acquired since the great 
earthquake of 1755. As the history of Portugal is almost 
identical with that of the capital, it may not be uninteresting 
to review briefly the vicissitudes the city has undergone. 

The foundation of Lisbon was at such a remote period as to 
be attributed to Ulysses, and even an undisputed mythological 
origin is hinted. The first positive record is of its subjugation 
by Carthage, B.C. 300, and next we find the Lusitanians under 
the heroic Viriathus and his successors hopelessly struggling 
against the power of Pome. The Roman mastery continued 
until a.d. 409, when the victorious Alans and Goths swept 
down from the north and plundered the city. Their su- 
premacy was followed by divisions among themselves, which 
terminated in the triumph of the Visigoths under Theodoric, 
a people who successfully retained control for a period of 
two hundred years. Xext came the conquering Moors, in 
713, and Lisbon during the three succeeding centuries was 
devastated by repeated conflicts between the Christians and the 

22 



330 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

Moslems. In 1095, Prince Henry of Burgundy, assisted by 
Don Alfonso "VI., of Castile, almost succeeded in driving out 
the Moors, and in 1147 his son, Affonso Henriques, the first 
king of Portugal, carried the city by assault, aided by a band 
of English and Flemish Crusaders. Thenceforward the Por- 
tuguese were troubled only by their own dissensions until the 
close of the fourteenth century, when a large portion of the 
city was burned by Don Enrique of Castile. During the 
next century or more Portugal became distinguished for the 
discoveries of its navigators, — Madeira, by Zarco and Vaz; 
Guinea, by Diogo d'Azambuja; India, by Vasco da Gama; 
Brazil, by Pedro Alvares Cabral ; Madagascar, by Coutinho ; 
China, by Fernao Peres de Andrade; and the first passage of 
the Cape of Good Hope, by Bartholomeu Dias. In 1581, 
under Philip II. of Spain, commenced the epoch known as 
the " Castilian Usurpation," or " Sixty Years' Captivity," the 
issue of a quarrel among seven claimants for the crown. The 
Spanish yoke was broken late in 1640, and Dom Joao, Duke of 
Braganca, was proclaimed king as John IV. On November 
1, 1755, Lisbon was visited by a terrible earthquake, which, 
in three distinct shocks, annihilated the city and destroyed 
sixty thousand people. Undaunted by. this catastrophe, the 
work of rebuilding was quickly accomplished under the guid- 
ance of the Marquis of Pombal, the energetic Prime Minister 
of Dom Jose I., with the wealth which was then pouring into 
the country from Brazil and India* 

In 1807, Napoleon unfolded his intention to invade Portu- 
gal, and Marshal Junot 7 s near approach to the capital prompted 
Dom Joao VI. to emigrate to Brazil. The portraits of that 
king show the act to be consistent with his physiognomy. The 
29th of November, 1807, witnessed the unopposed entrance of 
the French into Lisbon, and there they remained until the 
convention of Cintra offered them an opportunity to withdraw 
gracefully on August 30, 1808. In 1809, France again in- 



PORTUGAL. 331 

vaded Portugal, under Soult, but English armies interposed 
a successful barrier. A third attempt, in 1810-11, likewise 
failed for the same reason. In 1822 the fugitive king, Dom 
Joao VI., returned from Brazil, and was compelled to approve 
a constitution which insured many privileges to the people 
through the Cortes. The year 1825 marked the acknowledg- 
ment of the independence of Brazil, with the king's son, Dom 
Pedro, as emperor. A w T ar of succession soon after occurred, 
and other revolutions have since followed, but the house of 
Braganca yet rules in the person of the present king, Luiz I., 
who succeeded his brother, Dom Pedro V., in 1861. 

Since the earthquake much of Lisbon has been reconstructed 
in modern style, with straight streets of moderate width. 
Those parts which escaped total destruction were rebuilt upon 
the old foundations, and here the streets are narrow and compli- 
cated. The best section is known as Buenos Ayres (pleasant 
air), in which most of the ambassadors and resident foreigners 
have their quarters. The buildings generally are without in- 
terest, but an exception must be noted in favor of many houses 
with fronts composed entirely of azulejos. These encaustic 
tiles are invariably blue and white, the national colors, and 
many are of designs which require several pieces to form one 
figure. In addition to their cleanly appearance is the re- 
flective power of the light colors, w T hich tends to repel the 
intense heat of the summer. The Cathedral of Lisbon, unlike 
those of Spanish cities, has little claim to distinction. It has 
been partially rebuilt since the earthquake of 1755, when the 
body of St. Vincent, which lay in the choir, was consumed by 
fire. The National Picture Gallery is also unimportant, as 
the Portuguese artists never attained celebrity, and foreign 
works of merit are absent. The stupendous aqueduct and 
reservoir known as the "Mother of Water," the first being 
nine miles in length, form an acquisition of which Lisbon has 
reason to be proud. The ruined Gothic church and convent 



332 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of Carmo is attractive, not only on account of the beauty of 
the roofless church, but also because it stands just as the earth- 
quake completed its work. A portion of the structure is now 
employed as the Museum of the Archaeological Society, but 
the catalogue presents nothing remarkable. 

The attention of travellers is always invited to the Church 
of San Roque, not because of the architectural rank of the 
edifice, but on account of the unusual richness of its Chapel of 
St. John. "Within, this sanctuary is resplendent with Vatican 
pictorial mosaics in porphyry frames ; four columns of lapis 
lazuli. with bronze capitals and alabaster bases; an architrave 
of yellow marble, ornamented with angels of jasper ; an arch 
of coral and alabaster; a balustrade of verd-antique ; two 
doors of highly wrought bronze ; walls of black marble and 
other costly stones ; an altar of jasper, approached by steps of 
porphyry ; and a vaulted roof of like precious materials. The 
chapel was ordered by John V., and executed at Rome. Pre- 
vious to being shipped to Lisbon it was temporarily erected 
in St. Peter's, where Pope Benedict XIV. consecrated it by a 
special mass. 

The Praca dos Touros, or bull-ring, is one of the resorts of the 
Portuguese on Sunday afternoon, the same as with their Spanish 
neighbors. This sport, however, differs materially from that 
of Spain in lacking the barbarity of goring and killing. The 
bull's horns are tipped with wooden balls, and no blood is 
drawn except by small darts, with which the animal's shoulders 
are punctured to madden him. After the entertainment, these 
slight wounds are dressed and the bull is returned to the 
farmer. The excitement of the ring consists in flaunting the 
bright-colored capes, the thrusting of the darts, and occasionally 
in the attempt of several men to grasp boldly an exhausted 
bull. 

The open squares — called in Portuguese largo and praga — 
form a prominent feature of Lisbon. In all there are fifteen or 



PORTUGAL. 333 

more, but a reference to the leading ones will suffice. The 
first is the Praca do Commercio, or Commerce, called by Eng- 
lish residents " Black Horse Square." The latter appellation 
is derived from a magnificent colossal bronze equestrian statue 
of Dom Jose I., which stands in the centre. On one side of 
the marble pedestal is a sculptured life-size group of a female 
figure holding a horse rampant, which is designed to be alle- 
gorical of Victory. The opposite side has a cub elephant and 
the usual feminine Fame, denoting achievements in Asia and 
Africa. The square fronts directly on the Tagus, and ex- 
tends inward to a street on which stands an imposing marble 
triumphal arch, seventy feet high and thirty-three wide. 
Columns and statues of celebrated Portuguese are the chief 
decorations of the arch, the whole being surmounted with a 
colossal group of Glory crowning Valor and Genius. The 
buildings bordering the square are government offices. 

The second piazza worthy of notice is the Praca de Dom 
Pedro, generally called the Rocio. The Lisbonites indulge a 
fancy for applying a second name of their own to the streets 
and pragas, and as these are used in preference to the official 
designations the result is confusing to visitors. The Rocio has, 
in the centre, a Corinthian shaft of marble ninety-two feet in 
height, bearing a colossal bronze of Dom Pedro IV. of Por- 
tugal and first Emperor of Brazil. The entire pavement, 
measuring six hundred feet by one hundred and eighty, is 
composed of black and white stone cubes, of about one and 
a half inches, and arranged to resemble waves. The hand- 
some Ionic Theatre of Dona Maria II. fronts on this square. 
It is subsidized by the government and regarded as the his- 
trionic school of Portugal. 

Notwithstanding the inroads of London and Paris customs, 
there are several picturesque types of life yet to be seen on the 
streets of Lisbon. The stanch, shoeless fish-women repair 
every morning to the Ribeira Nova, or fish-market, and thence 



334 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

through the streets with the burden upon their heads; the 
gallegos, or water-carriers, supply the thirsty from their cool 
barrels, and act as porters in case of need ; and the sluggish 
yoke of oxen draw a cart whose wheels are a simple disk of 
wood mounted on axles which turn in two uprights at each 
side of the body. During our stay the city was enlivened by 
the presence of ambassadors from the Emperor of Morocco, 
who had lately arrived in a Portuguese man-of-war, and a part 
of whom were on a commercial mission to the Emperor of 
Germany. 

Close to the quarter called Buenos Ayres is the English 
Cemetery, which calls for a visit to see the grave of the 
novelist, Henry Fielding. He came to Lisbon in search of 
health, but, after a few months' residence, died, October 8, 
1754, when but forty-seven years of age. His monument, 
though plain, is creditable, but the pedantic clergyman who 
lately composed the inscription unhappily decided that while 
pure English might satisfy the living Fielding, the epitaph of 
the dead must be chiselled in Latin. 

West of Lisbon proper is the suburb of Belem, or, in Eng- 
lish, Bethlehem, which has an old tower and a sequestrated con- 
vent of high architectural rank. The church and monastery 
of St. Mary of Belem, commonly called the Convent of St. 
Jerome, was founded by King Manoel, in the year 1500, 
as a thanksgiving offering for the safe return of Vasco da 
Gama from the voyage which resulted in the discovery of 
India. These buildings were erected upon the site of a small 
chapel near the Tagus, in which the navigator and his followers 
passed the night previous to their departure. The entire group 
is constructed of a hard, fine-grained limestone resembling 
marble, and the space occupied would equal a moderate block 
in an American city. The architecture comprises different 
styles, — Gothic, Italian, Moorish, and flamboyant. The main 
portal of the church is a superb piece of Gothic carving which 



PORTUGAL. 335 

extends to the roof ; and the other entrances are also elaborate. 
Next the cloister is noticeable on account of its two tiers of 
broad and elegant arches, the lower range having pillarets 
supporting delicate open-work and minor arches. Even the 
convent itself has the merit of constructive beauty, which is 
not frequently seen, and the additions in progress are in 
equally good style. These splendid buildings are now devoted 
to the mission of a Girard College, a noble exception to the 
immense amount of property lying idle in convents — active and 
sequestrated — throughout Europe. 

The tower of Belem is a picturesque relic of the fifteenth 
century which continues to command the approach to the city 
by the Tagus. It consists of a stone fortress and tower with 
battlements and the usual sentry boxes on the corners. Ves- 
sels entering the port are required to stop opposite the tower 
for customs and quarantine inspection. It is related that dur- 
ing the late Rebellion the piratical Florida came to Lisbon for 
coal, and while there a United States man-of-war also arrived. 
Trusting to the international time-limitation, which would 
prevent the war vessel from immediately following, the cruiser 
one night duly went to sea. Her departure was noticed by the 
commander of the man-of-war, and all being dark and quiet, 
he resolved to give chase without delay. Unfortunately for 
his patriotic enterprise, the tower of Belem became cogni- 
zant of the movement, and fired a gun as a signal to desist. 
^Without regarding this reminder, the attempt was continued 
until a shot across the bows decided an abandonment of the 
scheme. After hearing this pleasant little story we had the 
curiosity to inspect closely the strength of the tower, and con- 
cluded that a few solid American projectiles might shatter the 
old fortress very badly. In view of the pressing incentive 
to be rash, the courtesy and forbearance of that captain were 
indeed remarkable. 

The palaces of Lisbon are scarcely notable in comparison 



336 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

with many others of Europe, although they are of considerable 
extent. Without entering upon detail, it will suffice to state 
that the palace of Ajuda, near Belem, the present royal resi- 
dence, is an immense unfinished pile, destitute of beauty and 
without historical associations. The second in importance, the 
Palacio das Necessidades, or Necessities, derives its name from 
having been constructed on the site adjoining a venerable 
chapel dedicated to the Virgin under the title of " Reliever 
of our Necessities." It consists of a large, unattractive group 
of red buildings, all of which escaped the earthquake of 1755. 
The palace of Belem, facing on the Tagus, is used solely for 
the entertainment of princely visitors. 

He who journeys to Lisbon and neglects Cintra, misses the 
gem of Portugal. The excursion is a three hours' drive west 
by northwest from the capital, which, with the sights, can be 
fairly accomplished in a long day. Then, as an additional in- 
ducement, a carriage and pair can be engaged from sunrise to 
midnight for only five thousand reis. For only five thousand 
r6is ? The array of figures is certainly imposing in sound, but 
not in reality. The Portuguese standard of value is so infin- 
itesimal as to require between ten and eleven reis to equal a 
single cent, and hence five thousand reis amount to only about 
five dollars in American money. It must be admitted that 
the road to Cintra is disappointing to a traveller directly from 
Andalusia, but upon nearing the village the picture changes, 
and the famed beauty is realized. Windmills form a promi- 
nent element of the landscape along the drive, and in an equal 
distance they far outnumber those of Holland. Cintra is built 
on the edge of the Serra de Cintra, and not a great distance 
from the mouth of the Tagus. Besides many private villas, 
royalty has two palaces in the vicinity, and the place is gener- 
ally popular with Lisbonites as a summer resort. 

When the carriage halted at Cintra, our Lisbon cicerone was 
immediately beset by a group of natives desirous of hiring 



PORTUGAL. 337 

out their donkeys. The patient, long-eared beasts vividly 
recalled Egypt, — not that it can ever be forgotten, — and so 
assisted we climbed the mountain. Winding along several 
shapely paths, we emerged on a stony peak overhanging the 
town, and halted at the remains of a Moorish castle. The line 
of decaying walls, a moss-covered mosque, and several towers, 
which have partly surrendered to time, form a most picturesque 
group. Continuing along the slope of the mountain, we again 
dismounted near the crowning peak to visit the palace of Pena. 
The title of palace is scarcely appropriate, as the building is 
an excellent reproduction of a grand Norman Gothic castle of 
the twelfth or thirteenth century. Originally it was a convent 
erected by King Manoel on the rock to which he frequently 
resorted in his anxious outlook for the return of Vasco da 
Gama's fleet of discovery. After the abolition of the monas- 
teries of Portugal it became private property, and as such was 
purchased and rebuilt by Dom Fernando less than thirty years 
ago. The buildings find a stanch foundation on the uneven 
granite rocks directly on the summit of the peak. The cloister 
and the chapel remain nearly as they were when the monks 
departed, and the latter is richly ornamented with costly stones. 
A battlemented wall, with towers at intervals, extends entirely 
around the castle and forms a promenade. The views from 
this eyrie are grand beyond all power of word painting, 
unless, indeed, Byron has succeeded in the portrayal : 

" Ah, me ! what hand can pencil guide, or pen, 
To follow half on which the eye dilates 
Through views more dazzling unto mortal ken 
Than those whereof such things the bard relates, 

"Who to the awe-struck world unlocked Elysium's gates? 

" The horrid crags, by toppling convent crowned, 
The cork-trees hoar that clothe the shaggy steep, 
The mountain-moss by scorching skies imbrowned, 
The sunken glen, whose sunless shrubs must weep, 



338 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The tender azure of the unruffled deep, 
The orange tints that gild the greenest bough, 
The torrents that from cliff to valley leap, 
The vine on high, the willow branch below, 
Mixed in one mighty scene, with varied beauty glow." 

The three donkeys, two dogs, the "donkey-man," and a 
begging gate-keeper were quietly awaiting our return at the 
lodge of the Pena, seemingly indifferent whether we remained 
an hour or a week. Mounting again, we were next guided 
over a wild, stony piece of country to visit a curiosity near 
the coast, known as the Convento da Cortica, or Cork Con- 
vent. A more remote and dismal location could not have 
been selected for the purpose of the monks who there lived as 
religious hermits. Picture a chapel, refectory, cuisine, and 
twenty cells, consisting of excavations in the rocks, with some 
additional rude masonry. The whole is lined with cork-bark, 
and the fence of the little garden is of the same wood. The 
cells are not more than five feet square, and the doors thereto 
are but four feet in height and correspondingly narrow. Beds 
and chairs were discarded for stone slabs, and, in fact, every- 
thing which partook of comfort was rigorously excluded. 
With all this, the extreme is yet to be told, for 

" Deep in yon cave Honorius long did dwell, 
In hope to merit heaven by making earth a hell." 

This enthusiast, refusing the luxury of the above . convent, 
chose for his habitation a hole over which a great stone had 
fallen, but not sufficiently long to lie at full length. There 
he passed the last twenty years of his life to do penance for a 
temptation which he shunned, and was gathered at the ripe age 
of ninety-five. Leaves were his bed, a stone his pillow, and 
prayer his occupation. He doubtless expired in the pious 
hope of gracing a future calendar of saints, but successive 
popes have remained strangely indifferent to his claims. 



PORTUGAL. 339 

Within a radius of two or more miles of this extraordinary 
sanctuary wooden crosses are placed by the paths and on the 
rocks at uncertain intervals. Our cicerone was unable to ex- 
plain their precise signification. Possibly they are offerings 
from penitent sinners; or perhaps they mark the sites of mur- 
ders, as they do in some parts of Spain. In that country they 
frequently bear the inscription, "Aqui mataron un hombre" 
which, rendered in English, is, " Here they killed a man." 

The donkeys now followed each other in single file and bore 
us down a rugged mountain path which led to the stately gate 
of Monserrate, the palatial summer residence of a Manchester 
manufacturer. His English name is plain Mr. Cook, but 
upon landing in Portugal he became the Visconde de Monser- 
rate, a title lately conferred by the king in consideration of the 
former's impressive bank-account. The place is certainly as 
nearly a paradise as money and taste can command. The 
spacious mansion of marble is in the Moorish style, while the 
interior is furnished with articles of virtu without number. 
The grounds are profusely planted with native and exotic 
flowers, and the cascades are most skilfully arranged. On the 
main road, returning to the village of Cintra, we passed the now 
declining Setiaes, or Convention Palace. It is celebrated for 
the signing of the Convention of 1808, by which the French 
were induced to evacuate Portugal, a treaty Englishmen recall 
with little joy. In the village is a shapeless palace of com- 
bined Moslem and Christian architecture, which is occasionally 
occupied by the king in summer. 

Xine miles north of Cintra is the stupendous Mafra sanctu- 
ary, a second Escorial, without the royal sepulchre. Like its 
Spanish counterpart, it consists of a palace, a church, and a 
convent united in one immense parallelogram. Authorities 
differ regarding the dimensions of the pile, but the actual 
measurements will vary but little ffom seven hundred and 
seventy feet in length and six hundred and eighty in width. 



340 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The internal magnitude of this structure may be realized from 
the statement that it contains eight hundred and sixty-six apart- 
ments, more than five thousand doors, and nine courts ; and 
the space on the roof is said to be sufficient for ten thousand 
soldiers to manoeuvre. The architecture must be described as 
simple, though not without richness in certain parts, as, for 
instance, the facade of the basilica. The creation of this won- 
der is due to Dom Joao V., who vowed that if an heir should 
be granted him, he would erect a great monastery on the site 
of the humblest friary in Portugal. And thus he fulfilled his 
pledge upon the birth of a son. The work was commenced in 
1717, and consecrated with great festivities in 1730. No 
monks have resided in the cells since 1834, when Portugal 
ordered the extinction of their fraternities, and the buildings 
now stand a monument of mistaken zeal, prodigality, and 
inutility. 

Coimbra, once the capital of the kingdom, and Oporto, 
the seat of the port-wine product, are also leading cities of 
Portugal ; but, with the tedious railroad journeys and lack 
of sights, a visit to them is not remunerative. An Eng- 
lish fellow-traveller presents the following impressions of the 
latter city : 

" The position of Oporto is not only picturesque, but also 
one of the quaintest, most puzzling, and least comfortable 
in the world. It stands on the right or north bank of the 
Douro, on a range of hills four hundred to five hundred feet 
high, some of its stately edifices sparsely crowning the sum- 
mits, and its narrow streets mostly sliding precipitously be- 
tween bold granite cliffs down to the water's edge. Its crooked 
thoroughfares, cramped squares, cross lanes, and steep flights 
of stairs constitute a labyrinth to which no one attempts to 
supply a clue. Across the river from the city, on the brow of 
the hills, are the scattered houses and gardens of Villa Nova 
de Gaya, at the foot of which the i lodges/ or cellars and offices 



PORTUGAL. 341 

of the port-wine merchants, slope down to the river. The 
latter consist of a maze of low-roofed, red sheds, intersected by 
narrow alleys. Between the town and the suburb communica- 
tion across the stream is established by a handsome suspension- 
bridge for foot-passengers and carriages, and about half a mile 
above the city the river is spanned by the railway viaduct, 
which hangs high in the air, a triumph of modern engineering. 
Villa Nova de Gaya is said to occupy the site of ancient Cale, 
— the Arabic KaPeh, a castle or fort, — and this word, in com- 
bination with the primitive name of the place, gave rise to 
Portus Cale, or Portugal, the harbor of the fort, or the fort of 
the harbor, at first the appellation of the district, which gradu- 
ally extended to the whole country and kingdom. Three 
miles below the city is the Foz, or mouth of the river, with its 
dangerous bar, and the maritime suburb of Sao Joao da Foz, a 
favorite sea-bathing place, with a population of three thousand 
souls. 

" Oporto is a town of about one hundred and ten thousand 
inhabitants, which has no museums or galleries, no churches 
or palace of transcendent merit, no wonders or curiosities to 
plague the tourists, except the port-wine cellars, unless it be 
its goldsmith industry in the Eua das Flores. The product 
of this trade is a kind of gold filigree work, probably a rem- 
nant and tradition of ancient Moorish ingenuity, not perhaps 
equalling in perfect finish and minute elaboration the best 
specimens of Genoese, Maltese, or old Eastern manufacture, 
but still quaint and rich and surprising, if not by its taste, at 
least by its endless variety. The forms comprise those usual 
in jewelry, together with crucifixes and candlesticks. The 
trinkets of this ware are the delight of the Lusitanian peas- 
antry, the old and the young of the gentle sex alike wearing 
it to enhance such charms as nature has given them. 

"Little as there may be in Oporto to induce a traveller to 
prolong his stay, he ought not, however, to leave the place 



342 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

without visiting that district of the Alto Douro which bears 
the name of Paiz Vinhateiro, the port-wine country. The 
journey is, at the present day, a somewhat arduous under- 
taking, but will be reduced to an easy railway trip when the 
Douro line, now almost completed as far as Kegoa, in the heart 
of the district, shall be open to the public." 



CHAPTER XIX. 



CASTTLIAN SPAIN. 



The route from Lisbon to Madrid is a repetition of that 
from Cordova to Lisbon as far on the return journey as a buffet 
junction in Estremadura called Almorchon. Thence onward 
in the direction of Madrid, the first station of interest, which 
is just across the provincial line in New Castile, is Almaden, 
the seat of the celebrated quicksilver mines. Unfortunately, 
nothing of them can be seen from the railroad, and not even 
the semblance of a hotel exists in the village to accommodate 
visitors. Although these mines are the oldest in Europe, they 
are yet regarded as inexhaustible. The ore is principally found 
in a soil containing quartz and schist, and yields an average of 
ten per cent, of the valuable metal. The annual product is 
about twenty thousand quintals, or two million pounds, and 
employment is said to be given to four thousand men. The 
mines are now operated by the Rothschilds. Continuing the 
journey, we in due time arrive at Ciudad Real (Royal City), 
a town of twelve thousand people, where dinner is taken. 
Travellers rarely devote a day to this place, as it offers noth- 
ing worthy the time except, possibly, a moderate Gothic 
church. Thence the line is through Alcazar, and finally 
Aranjuez, the Spanish Versailles, which is beautifully situated 
on the Tagus. Surrounding Madrid for a radius of many 
miles the country is an uncultivated, uneven plain, sparsely 
populated, and of most inhospitable aspect. 

After a tour of the provinces of Spain, a few hours in Ma- 

343 



344 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

drid will convince a stranger that the spirit of centralization 
prevails to a conspicuous degree. There all is animation, ap- 
parent prosperity, and modern ideas. Throughout the king- 
dom at large the reverse is oppressively evident in stagnation, 
antiquated customs, and decay. Travellers occasionally allude 
to Madrid as an indifferent imitation of Paris, but the com- 
parison signifies little, as the latter is manifestly without a peer 
in the sense intended by the remark. If the French metropo- 
lis alone be excepted, the Spanish capital will rank in anima- 
tion with any centre of Europe. Indeed, the scene on the 
Puerta del Sol, as we viewed it from the balconies of our room 
in the Fonda de Paris, was of such brilliancy that it recalled 
the pageant at the intersection of the Parisian Avenue de 
POpeYa and Boulevard des Capucines. The designation of 
the plaza is derived from one of the gates of the city which 
formerly stood upon that site, — the Gate of the Sun. The 
extended open space describes a great arc on one side, and on 
the opposite a straight line, with just breadth enough at each 
of the two ends to admit of a broad building. In the middle 
is a large basin, or fountain, and equidistant from it are two 
ornamental iron posts, each bearing a pair of Jablochk off elec- 
tric lights shaded by cream globes. Ten of the leading streets 
converge on the place, and tramways, omnibuses, and hacks 
make it a general centre. The surrounding shops are the best 
in the city, and the sidewalks are thronged at all hours, but 
especially at night. An evening stroll along the Carrera San 
Geronimo, one of the diverging streets, or on the Prado, the 
public promenade, displays a repetition of the throng on the 
Puerta del Sol. In addition, the immense cafes are all 
crowded, ostensibly for a cup of cafe" noir or a glace, but in 
reality for recreation; and the places of amusement reflect the 
same picture of life. 

The hidalgos and grandees may be seen to advantage in the 
Gardens of Buen Retiro an hour before dinner. This park, 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 345 

though not extensive, is beautiful, and the senoritas, with their 
charming veils, are not to be omitted in the same connection. 
Neither will the equipages be found deficient, even though 
viewed with a critical eye. After the drive the tertulias, or 
coterie dinner-parties, occupy an hour or two, and then the 
theatres are sought. Lastly, a visit to the Casino, the leading 
club, completes the routine, with possibly a game of trente et 
quarante. Every Saturday afternoon at six the king and 
queen drove in state to the Church of Atocha to attend a brief 
service, and then to the Gardens of Buen Retiro. The young 
monarch rode with his head uncovered, and the people like- 
wise removed their hats as the carriage passed, but with no 
further demonstration. His cousin, bride, and queen was 
pretty and animated, but within a few brief months of their 
auspicious wedding her fair head was laid to rest in a mauso- 
leum of the dreary Escorial. And already " reasons of state" 
have betrothed the bereaved king to the Archduchess Chris- 
tine, of Austria.* Why the church of the Atocha was selected 
for this Saturday afternoon ceremony it would be difficult to 
determine, unless because of the presence of a venerated image 
of the Virgin, which not only possesses marvellous attributes, 
but is said to have been carved by St. Luke. Possibly the 
royal favor is due to the fact that the sanctuary was founded 
by Charles V.'s confessor, and having been honored by the 
illustrious monarch, his successors have continued its distinc- 
tion. The building is destitute of beauty or attractions, with 
the single exception of the magnificent silver-bronze tomb 

* The late royal wooing at Arcachon, near Bordeaux, has been followed 
by the definite announcement that the marriage will be solemnized at 
Madrid on the 27th of November of the present year (1879), and followed 
by the usual festivities. The Archduchess Marie Christine Desiree Hen- 
riette Felieite Keniere is the only daughter of the late Archduke Charles 
Ferdinand, who was a cousin of the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. 
She was born July 21, 1858. 



346 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

which contains the remains of the patriotic General Prim. In 
fact, Madrid can vaunt no church of architectural renown, and 
travellers therefore visit none, unless it be the Atocha. 

On Sunday afternoon or particular feast days the bull-fight 
is the absorbing spectacle which allures all classes to the new 
Plaza de Toros. We witnessed a portion of one on St. Ubald's 
day, when Alfonso and Mercedes occupied the royal loge al- 
most unattended. The king appeared more interested in the 
use of his lorgnette than in the tragedy of the ring. The 
opera season had expired, but we obtained permission to enter 
the Teatro Peal, or Poyal Theatre, to see its reputed interior 
beauty. The ornamentation presents nothing extraordinary, 
but the design of the auditorium is such as to insure a satis- 
factory view of the stage from every quarter. The five circles 
are divided into boxes, and the parquet is furnished with luxu- 
rious chairs. The seating capacity is two thousand. 

The Poyal Theatre faces on the handsome Plaza del Oriente, 
and on the opposite side stands the great Royal Palace of 
Spain. In the centre of the square is a fine bronze equestrian 
statue of Charles IV., with the charger rampant. The model 
was taken from a painting by Velazquez, and Galileo is said 
to have solved the centre of gravity difficulty. This was done 
by casting the foreparts of the horse entirely hollow, while 
the hind quarters are solid. Forming a large circle about the 
garden in which the monument is located, are several inartistic 
statues of the kings and queens of Spain, which were origi- 
nally intended for the balustrade around the roof of the palace. 
Permission to enter the Poyal Palace is granted only during 
the king's absence, but the courts and terraces are generally 
free to the public. The immense pile forms a square of four 
hundred and seventy-one feet, with an elevation of one hun- 
dred feet. The style is Tuscan, and the material a white stone 
almost equal to marble. When first conceived by the ostenta- 
tious Philip V., it was proposed that the edifice should be 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 347 

more than triple its present dimensions; but, through some 
unexplained visitation of common sense, the scheme was aban- 
doned. Even with its present limits it ranks as one of the 
most extensive in the world, and its interior is decorated 
in the most sumptuous manner. It is related of the great 
]Sapoleon that when he ascended the grand staircase in 1808, 
as conqueror, he remarked to his brother, then King Joseph 
of Spain, the superior splendor of the palace over his own. 
Access to the royal stables, coach-houses, and saddlery is readily 
granted to strangers, and astonishing indeed is the lavishness 
displayed in every department. The array comprises about 
three hundred horses and ponies of various races, one hundred 
and twenty-five carriages for general driving, a dozen or more 
stage-coaches, and harness, livery, and trappings ad infinitum. 
Xear the close of Isabella's reign it was estimated that the 
entire establishment gave employment to seven hundred people. 
In the vicinity of the palace is the Armeria Real, or Royal 
Armory, which contains one of the choicest collections in 
Europe. The weapons and armor glisten with faithful care, 
and included in the catalogue are several of notable interest. 
Among the number are the equestrian armors of Charles "V., 
Christopher Columbus, Philip II., Hernando Cortes, and Boab- 
dil, the last Moorish king of Granada. We likewise find the 
swords of the sainted Ferdinand, the heroic Gonzalo de Cor- 
dova, Boabdil, the Cid Campeador, Don Juan of Austria, 
Isabel the Catholic, Charles V., and Francisco Pizarro, the 
conqueror of Peru, as well as saddles, helmets, crowns, daggers, 
and camp-equipage, with similar historical associations. The 
Xaval Museum is also entertaining in view of Spain's con- 
spicuous place in the era of discoveries and of her past record 
as a formidable power on the seas. Besides other models we 
noted one of a galley of the time of Columbus; one of the 
" Santa Ana," which went down at Trafalgar ; and one of the 
modern " Arapiles," before which a patriotic coal-barge sunk 



348 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

in New York harbor when trouble threatened between Spain 
and the United States during the late war in Cuba. Not 
without interest, also, are the portraits of Pizarro, De Soto, 
Columbus, Ferdinand, and Isabella. 

Unquestionably, the crowning glory of Madrid is the Real 
Museo de Pinturas, or Royal Picture-Gal lery. Many con- 
noisseurs hesitate not to pronounce the collection without equal 
for quality, while others, less decided in opinion, agree that the 
imposing array must be accorded rivalry with the greatest. 
The building which contains these treasures is a long granite 
structure with Ionic decorations and of handsome design, 
although the elevation is rather low for the length. The pic- 
tures are arranged in schools, with the exception of those in 
the Salon de Isabel II., where the collection of masterpieces is 
similar to that in the Tribune of the Uffizi Palace at Florence, 
which contains the Venus de Medici. The Madrid gallery is 
not eminent if examples of every epoch alone are sought, but 
its claims are based on an unsurpassed catalogue of gems. 
The magnitude of the latter may be estimated by the state- 
ment that the list comprises ten by Raphael, forty-three by 
Titian, forty-six by Murillo, ten by Claude, sixty-four by Ve- 
lazquez, twenty-five by Paul Veronese, sixty-two by Rubens, 
fifty-three by Teniers, thirty-four by Tintoretto, fifty-eight by 
Ribera, twenty-two by Van Dyck, and many more by other 
famous painters. The entire collection aggregates two thou- 
sand, which is exclusive of a saloon devoted to statuary of 
secondary value. A mere list of the titles of paintings is of 
little benefit in their absence ; but a few demand especial men- 
tion because of their celebrity. Among them are Titian's 
equestrian portrait of " Charles V. at the battle of Muhlberg," 
and his " Prometheus Chained to the Rock" ; Murillo's "Little 
St. John" and two " Immaculate Conceptions," — one an ex- 
quisite girlish Virgin ; and Velazquez's equestrian portrait of 
"Prince Don Baltasar Carlos." There are also several fine 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 349 

private collections in Madrid, but the Royal Gallery usu- 
ally consumes all the time at the disposal of the general 
tourist. 

Through the kindness of the United States legation we were 
provided with places in the diplomatic boxes to witness the sit- 
tings of the Senate and the Cortes. The exterior of the Senate 
building is unpretentious, but the hall is handsomely furnished, 
and arranged somewhat like the IJouse of Lords in London. 
Three cabinet officers sat on the blue velvet ministerial bench, 
and were ill at ease under a criticism from the opposition 
on the question of voting a credit. The places were nearly all 
filled, and noticeable attention was extended to every speaker. 
Senators are appointed for life. The Congress of Deputies, or 
the Cortes, occupies a new Grecian edifice with a hall having 
the outlines of a theatre. The interior is elegantly decorated, 
including paintings of subjects from Spanish history. The 
members' benches are arranged in concentric semicircles, and 
the spectators' places are in the balconies. The chamber is 
scarcely more than a third of the area of the House of Rep- 
resentatives at Washington, and yet among the largest in 
Europe. Consequently, the labor of speaking and the difficulty 
of hearing which are experienced in our Congressional halls 
are entirely avoided in the Cortes. This great economy of 
space is accomplished by excluding all desks for deputies and 
arranging the seats or benches in tiers. Separate apartments 
are provided for writing purposes, so that when members are 
in their places they give attention to the proceedings. The 
same regard for parliamentary courtesy prevailed in the Cortes, 
although, as usual, the ministry was suffering an attack. 

Toledo and Escorial are generally visited as excursions from 
Madrid. In neither case is the distance great, nor do the sights 
in either require more than one long day, unless a taste for 
sketching is to be indulged. The former especially offers many 
choice studies for the pencil and the brush, which artists are 



350 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

not slow in discovering. Toledo is only fifty-six miles from 
the capital, yet the time required is three and a quarter hours. 
The route is through Aranjuez, the seat of the palace and 
gardens occupied by the king during May and a part of June. 
Like the plains of New Castile in general, the country is mo- 
notonous, dreary, and unreclaimed. The heat in summer is 
intense and oppressive, while in winter the frigid blasts from 
the Sierra de Guadarrama are so severe as to imperil life. In 
fact, the climate of the province is regarded as exceedingly 
trying in all seasons. 

Toledo boasts of being one of the oldest cities of Europe, 
and the claim is substantiated by the fact that its origin is so 
remote as to be involved in doubt. The founders may have 
been Phoenicians, Greeks, Jews, or Romans. Without further 
reference to supposition, we know it to have been the flourish- 
ing city of the Goth, the Jew, the Moor, and of the illustrious 
emperor Charles V. It was the residence of the court, and its 
splendor continued undiminished until Philip II. removed to 
Valladolid. That change w r as fatal to its prosperity, and its 
subsequent record is one of steady decline. The sole dis- 
tinction which Toledo retains from the wreck of its official 
greatness is the ecclesiastical head of Spain. The primate 
resides in the remodelled Archiepiscopal Palace, which is con- 
nected with the cathedral by a covered bridge. Very differ- 
ent, however, is the position of the present Spanish primate in 
comparison with the princely prerogatives and revenues of 
Mendoza and Ximenes. 

The situation of Toledo is such that the aspect on approach- 
ing is unusually striking. What remains of the old city is 
built upon a high rock whose sides are all precipitous except- 
ing that which slopes in the direction of the Tagus. Leaving 
the station, the omnibus winds around a rock and crosses the 
river by the picturesque bridge of Alcantara, which still retains 
remnants of its Moorish predecessor. On an eminence above 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 351 

the bridge is the ruined Castle of San Cervantes, which also 
bears vestiges of the days when the Moor was its master. The 
town is entered through one of the characteristic gates, and 
the conveyance grinds over the narrow, rough streets. Many 
of these alleys — for they are nothing more — are absolutely 
so narrow that a pedestrian must enter a doorway when the 
omnibus passes, but a vehicle of any other description is rarely 
seen. The houses are of little general interest, exclusive of a 
few pieces of Moorish stucco shown in old residences, but they 
appear trifling after the glories of the Alhambra and the 
Alcazar of Seville. 

The former synagogue or present Church of Santa Maria la 
Blanca, which was the sanctuary of the wealthiest of Toledo's 
Jews, is a superb example of the Moresque style of the twelfth 
century. Its plan is that of a basilica divided into five naves 
by thirty-two octagon pillars, with capitals of various Byzan- 
tine patterns. The pillars support twenty-eight horse-shoe 
arches, and above these the arabesque and stalactite work is 
intricate and beautiful. The Church of the Transito, which 
was also formerly a synagogue, likewise shows relics of Moor- 
ish architecture, including a series of arcades and other choice 
specimens which have been imbedded in the walls or partitions 
of a later period. The Alcazar has been destroyed and rebuilt 
so often that it can scarcely be considered as oriental. It 
stands on high ground, and was in its time a fortress as well 
as a palace. The Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) and other 
gates must be added to the structures .above named to complete 
the list of notable Moorish remains at Toledo. 

The greatness and splendor of the once proud city are viv- 
idly recalled by its cathedral. As the seat of the primate of 
the kingdom, it can be readily comprehended that no house of 
worship would be permitted to overshadow it in magnificence. 
Travellers frequently speak of some favorite cathedral as the 
grandest in Spain, and the one at Toledo is often their selec- 



352 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

tion. Those who advocate the claims of the stately piles at 
Burgos, Leon, and Seville would naturally dissent from this 
conclusion, but it would certainly be fruitless to attempt to es- 
tablish any as surpassing that at Toledo. This massive struc- 
ture was commenced in 1247 by St. Ferdinand, on the site of 
a former mosque. Subsequent sovereigns continued the work 
without protracted interruption, yet the edifice was not finished 
for occupation until 1493. Since then it has received minor 
additions in the form of chapels. Its entire length is four 
hundred and four feet, width two hundred and four, and 
height of the tower three hundred and twenty-nine feet. The 
design is an oblong square basilica, with the eastern end de- 
scribing a semicircle, and the order is Gothic, of unexception- 
able style. Eight portals of different patterns afford ready 
ingress, and add much grandeur to the exterior. The large 
cloisters are also of the Gothic character, but not of remarkable 
beauty. 

The interior is divided into seven naves, two of which are 
occupied by twenty-three chapels. The roof is composed of 
seventy-two vaults, borne by shafts in groups. Light is had 
from seven hundred and fifty stained-glass windows ; and the 
pavement is of blue-tinted marble, in blocks. The impressive 
effect which this unobstructed interior would produce is greatly 
marred by the presence of the choir and the high chapel in the 
middle. In the ornamentation the supreme features are the 
reja and the transparente. The reja is a railing of a combina- 
tion of copper, brass, and iron, enclosing the high chapel, and 
of such exquisite workmanship that the world is without its 
equal. The transparente is a marvellous open-work group of 
sculptured celestial figures, suspended above the rear of the 
high altar, to admit light to the sanctuary or closet, where the 
holy wafer and other sacred objects are preserved. The stalls 
in the choir are a wonder of wood-carving, and the retablo, 
or altar-piece, in the high chapel is gorgeous. The ill us- 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 353 

trious dead who have tombs in the cathedral include Enrique 
II., Enrique III., Juan II., Alfonso VII., Don Sancho el 
Bravo, Cardinal Mendoza, and other princes of the Church of 
Rome. The favorite legend of the cathedral, which is repre- 
sented in marble, is the descent of the Virgin from heaven to 
place a cassock on the shoulders of San Ildefonso, one of the 
early primates of Toledo. To verify the occurrence, the stone 
is shown on which Mary stood while performing the act. 
Among the other examples of Christian architecture it should 
be remarked that the florid Gothic church of San Juan de los 
Reyes (St. John of the Kings) has a most exquisite cloister, 
to which is attached a very indifferent museum. 

Located a short distance from the city gates is the Royal 
Manufactory of Swords, which has earned renown for the 
Toledo blades throughout the world. The weapons were first 
produced by independent workmen, who eventually resolved 
themselves into a guild known as " Los Armeros de Toledo," 
or the Armorers of Toledo. Writers on the subject state that 
the finest blades were produced in the sixteenth century, but 
the artisans of to-day assert and give ample evidence that it 
would be impossible to excel their own handiwork. While in 
the testing-room blades were bent for our satisfaction to such 
a curve that prudence prompted us to withdraw to a safe dis- 
tance ; and such thrusts and blows were made against a large 
steel block that it was surprising no breaks occurred. In the 
finishing-room an expert displayed with much pride an espada 
de rosea, — a slight flat blade which easily assumes the form of 
a circle. Every stage in the process of manufacture is per- 
formed within the factory, from the forging to the finish. The 
engraving of the ornamented weapons, the carving of elabo- 
rate hilts, and the gold inlaying are all parts requiring skill. 
The number of men employed varies with the demand, but 
about seventy-five is a fair average. An order for German 
cavalry sabres was engaging the works at the time of our visit, 



354 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

and among the specialties was a fine dress-sword for the Napo- 
leonic Prince Imperial, who has since met his death among 
the Zulus in Southern Africa. 

Escorial is situated about thirty miles northwest of Madrid, 
on the line of the Great Northern Railway. The village of 
Escorial is nothing of itself, but derives its celebrity solely 
from the presence of the huge structure which has acquired 
the same title. The Escorial is a stupendous pile consisting 
of a church, a palace, a monastery, and a royal sepulchre, and 
forming a rectangular parallelogram seven hundred and forty- 
four feet long and five hundred and eighty wide, which is 
popularly supposed to represent a reversed gridiron, in allu- 
sion to the instrument of St. Lawrence's martyrdom. Span- 
iards are said to regard it as the Eighth Wonder of the World, 
a designation which exaggerates its importance. Its general 
order is Doric, and the gray stone resembling granite which 
abounds in the neighboring hills constitutes the material. The 
site is a wild slope of the Sierra de Guadarrama, surrounded 
by pine-trees, and overlooking a cheerless landscape. To the 
devout Philip II., the son of the Emperor Charles V., is due 
the erection, and in truth the very design, of this extraor- 
dinary monument. The reasons for its construction are clearly 
expressed in Philip's own " Card of Endowment," — contained 
in the history of the order of St. Jerome, by the monk Jose 
de Siguenza, — which will be transcribed almost entire : 

" In acknowledgment of the many and great blessings which 
it has pleased God to heap on us and continue to us daily, 
and inasmuch as He has been pleased to direct and guide our 
deeds and acts to His holy service, and in maintenance and 
defence of His holy faith and religion, and of justice and peace 
within our realms; considering, likewise, what the emperor 
and king, our lord and father, in a codicil which lie lately 
made, committed to our care, and charged us with, respecting 
his tomb, the spot and place where his body and that of the 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 355 

empress and queen, our lady and mother, should be placed ; it 
being just and meet that their bodies should be most duly 
honored with a befitting burial-ground, and that for their souls 
be said continually masses, prayers, anniversaries, and other 
holy records; and because we have, besides, determined that 
whenever it may please God to take us away to Him, our body 
should rest in the same place and spot near theirs, . . . for all 
these reasons w T e found and erect the Monastery of St. Law- 
rence the Royal, near the town of Escorial, in the diocese and 
archbishopric of Toledo, the which we dedicate in the name 
of the blessed St. Lawrence, on account of the special devotion 
with which we have said we pray to this glorious saint, and 
in memory of the favor and victories [the battle of St. Quen- 
tin, August 10, 1557] which on his day we received from 
God. Moreover, we found it for the order of St. Jerome, on 
account of our special affection and respect for this order, and 
that which was also bestowed on it by the emperor and king, 
our father." 

Charles V., it will be remembered, after an eventful reign, 
abdicated in favor of Philip, and retired to the convent of St. 
Jerome of Yuste, in the province of Estremadura, where he 
died. In addition to the incentives for building the Escorial, 
as above stated, Philip himself displayed that devout inclina- 
tion which prompted his father and other predecessors to 
exchange the crown for the cowl. And, although he died a 
king, the latter part of his life was chiefly passed within its 
walls almost as a monk. 

The foundations of the Escorial were laid in 1563, and so 
rapid was its progress that the vast pile was completed in 1584. 
Even in those days of inexpensive labor its cost amounted to 
nearly six millions of ducats (§13,500,000). The nominal 
architects were Juan Bautista de Toledo, and after his death 
Juan de Herrera, a young Austrian, but Philip himself was the 
master-spirit. Intending it to be more of a monastery than a 



356 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

palace, the royal builder infused into every lineament the most 
studied simplicity, until, in truth, certain of its facades resem- 
ble barracks. The front, however, which overlooks the plain 
and contains the massive church, with its great dome in the 
centre and towers on the corners, is truly majestic. While not 
attempting to detail the plan of the pile, it will be well to 
mention the conspicuous features of the interior. The church 
is a basilica, three hundred and twenty feet long, two hundred 
and thirty wide, and three hundred and twenty high to the top 
of the dome. Its characteristics are massiveness, elegance of 
proportions, and richness of internal decoration. It also in- 
cludes a few royal family tombs. In the monastery there is 
but little for our exclusive enumeration. The cloisters are not 
particularly ornate, and the pictures on the walls are the usual 
religious subjects. The chapter-house contains several paint- 
ings of merit, among the number being " The Lord's Supper," 
by Titian. The library is the finest single apartment in the 
Escorial, of course excepting the church, if that should be so 
classed. Its dimensions are one hundred and ninety-four feet 
long and thirty-two wide. The shelves and cases are of ebony 
and other fine woods ; the floor is of different marbles ; the 
arched ceiling is painted with allegorical subjects ; and portraits 
occupy the vacancies between the divisions of shelves. The 
catalogue now represents about twenty thousand volumes, 
among which is a superb collection of illuminated parchment 
books. 

The Pantheon, as it is curiously called, is the royal sepul- 
chre, and in it only kings and the mothers of kings are 
permitted to lie. Descending a flight of steps composed of 
variegated, glistening marbles, the light of the taper shows a 
subterranean octagonal chamber. The ceiling is vaulted, and 
a large chandelier is suspended from the centre. The order is 
composite, and the whole is finished in marble, porphyry, and 
jasper, but with limited sculptural elaboration. Its size is 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 357 

forty-six feet in diameter and thirty-eight in height. TTithin 
twenty-six niches, arranged in rows around the chamber, are 
the marble sarcophagi or urns which contain the royal dead, — 
the kings on one side and the queens opposite, and all in the 
order of precedence. The line commences with the Emperor 
Charles V., and terminates with Ferdinand VII., excepting 
Philip V. and Ferdinand VI., who, for some reason, were 
interred respectively at La Granja and Madrid. A few of the 
urns are yet untenanted, but those in which Isabel II. and 
Alfonso XII. will be placed are already indicated to visitors. 
As the late Queen Mercedes was not the mother of a king she 
was entombed elsewhere in the Escorial. It is said to have 
been the custom of the dethroned queen to have a midnight 
mass on the altar in the Pantheon whenever she remained at 
the sanctuary. 

The Palace was in Philip's time very plainly furnished, but 
succeeding sovereigns have enriched certain suites of rooms. 
The apartments altered by Charles IV. are finished in wood 
mosaics, and several in another section are hung w T ith Madrid, 
Gobelin, and other tapestries, with subjects after Teniers and 
others. Philip's room or cell remains as it was when death 
called him away to the Pantheon. It might be well described by 
a sentence our cicerone persisted in repeating: "You wouldn't 
give two pounds for the whole furniture if you didn't know it 
was Philip II.'s." A window in a small rear room affords a 
view of the high altar, and there Philip was carried when, 

" With age, with cares, -with maladies oppressed," 

he attended his final mass, and, while thus worshipping, re- 
sponded to the call of sovereign Death. Illustrious in rank, 
devout in prosperity, fervent in the hour of death, how greatly 
is it to be regretted that such a life should have been darkened 
by unfortunate melancholy, and stained with the cruelties of 
the Inquisition ! 



358 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The glory of the Escorial is forever gone, and decline hovers 
over the deserted pile ready for its certain prey. While wan- 
dering through its labyrinth of halls we realize in its fallen 
estate the graceful description of our gifted countryman, the 
historian Prescott. "The traveller," he says, "who now visits 
the place will find its condition very different from what it 
was in the beginning of the century. The bare and mildewed 
walls no longer glow with the magical tints of Raphael and 
Titian and the sober pomp of the Castilian school. The ex- 
quisite specimens of art with which the halls were filled have 
been wantonly demolished, or more frequently pilfered for the 
sake of the rich materials. The monks, so long the guardians 
of the place, have shared the fate of their brethren elsewhere 
since the suppression of religious houses, and their venerable 
forms have disappeared. Silence and solitude reign through- 
out the courts, undisturbed by any sound save that of the 
ceaseless winds, which seem to be ever chanting their melan- 
choly dirge over the faded glories of the Escorial. There is 
little now to remind one of the palace or of the monastery. 
Of the three. great objects to which the edifice was devoted, 
one alone survives, — that of a mausoleum for the royal line of 
Castile. The spirit of the dead broods over the place, — of the 
sceptred dead, who lie in the same dark chamber where they 
have lain for centuries, unconscious of the changes that have 
been going on all around them." 

Leaving Madrid by the Great Northern Railway, bound for 
Valladolid, the route is through Escorial, Avila, and Medina 
del Campo. The vast sanctuary at Escorial is a conspicuous 
object from the passing train. Avila is noted for its massive 
Gothic cathedral, of which many travellers speak in terms of 
admiration. The provincial line between the Castiles is passed 
about midway from Escorial to Avila. Medina del Campo is 
merely a junction, and the station where the diligence is taken 
to visit Salamanca and the field of the Wellington-Marmont 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 359 

battle of 1812. The greater part of the country along the 
route is devoid of beauty. The distance from Madrid to Val- 
ladolid is but one hundred and fifty miles, yet the Spanish 
" express" requires seven and one-half hours to accomplish the 
trip. That known as the " mixed" train — first, second, and 
third-class combined — absolutely consumes twelve hours in 
performing the same journey. 

Yalladolid is to-day a lifeless town of twenty thousand 
people, a mere shadow T of its past eminence. The date of 
its foundation, like that of so many Spanish towns, is uncer- 
tain. It came into prominence, first as the capital of the king- 
dom of Leon, and afterward of united Castile and Leon. At 
a later period the court of Spain was removed by Philip II. 
from Toledo to Valladolid, and from the latter it was finally 
transferred to Madrid, in 1560. Valladolid's historical record 
is interspersed with many interesting events. Ferdinand and 
Isabella were married within its walls in 1469, Columbus died 
in 1506 in a house now standing in the Calle de Colon, and 
Philip II. was born in the now remodelled palace opposite the 
Church of St. Paul. The horrible auto da fe, or Inquisition 
sentence, more than once polluted the Plaza Mayor with execu- 
tions at the stake. The immortal Cervantes came in 1603, and 
lived for two years in a house on the Plaza del Pastro, which 
is shown to-day, together with his bronze effigy on the square. 
Philip III. attempted to reestablish Valladolid as the capi- 
tal, but its day had passed and Madrid was supreme. Napo- 
leon occupied the city in 1809, and retained possession until 
the battle of Salamanca installed the Duke of Wellington. 
Once more the French returned in 1813, but once more the 
great duke came and drove them beyond the Pyrenees. Here 
the record seems to end, and since then Valladolid has slum- 
bered in the grasp of decay. 

Nothing we saw in Valladolid riveted our attention like the 
homely house, Xo. 7 Calle de Colon. There, on May 20, 1506, 



360 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Columbus was summoned by the Great King on that silent 
voyage which lies beyond the grave. The story of his life, 
including his birth at Genoa, the refusal of the Genoese to 
encourage his daring plans of discovery, and his final success 
through Ferdinand and Isabella, is known to all readers. 
Upon his death his body was first interred at the monastery 
of San Francisco, at Valladolid, for a period of six years. 
Thence it was borne to a Carthusian convent at Seville, from 
which it was transported to Santo Domingo, in 1536. Finally 
the remains were conveyed to Havana, in 1795, where they 
now are if still in existence. A recent report to the effect that 
the remains of Columbus had been discovered in the cathe- 
dral of Santo Domingo, has been proved by the investigation 
of the Madrid Historical Academy to be without foundation. 

Valladolid rejoices in a huge cathedral of the Doric order ; 
massive, proportionate, and severely plain. The interior is 
Corinthian, and although large, it is without noteworthy orna- 
ment. The secularized convent of San Pablo, or St. Paul, has an 
exquisite Gothic facade ; and San Gregorio — now occupied by 
the civil government — has an equally fine cloister. The Museum 
comprises an indifferent collection of church ornaments, carved 
saintly effigies, inferior religious paintings, and other material 
but a grade removed from rubbish. Like the city, the old 
University, once the pride of Spain, is a shadow of the past. 

Burgos is seventy-five miles north of Valladolid and two 
hundred and twenty-five from Madrid. It was past mid- 
night when we landed there from the slow train, and, together 
with a Highlander and a New Yorker, drove to the princi- 
pal hotel. All was dark and not a light burning. The barred 
door fortunately bore an immense knocker, which was called 
into requisition. The racket produced by the rapping was 
startling in the still night, but not a head protruded anywhere 
in the neighborhood. One looked at the other, and the pre- 
dicament had the aspect of an enforced vigil on the lonely 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 361 

streets of a ghostly town in company with the prowling felines. 
Finally a woman cautiously opened the door, and being sat- 
isfied by the Scot, who spoke to her in Italian, we were 
ushered into tolerable rooms. Persian powder, liberally dis- 
tributed in the bed, insured a peaceful rest. 

Many of the old Spanish cities have sunk into such insig- 
nificance that a glance at their history seems necessary to con- 
vince the traveller that they really have been famous in the 
middle ages. Burgos is of this class; once a capital, but now 
only a contracted town of fifteen thousand people. It may 
yet be said the place displays rather more life than Cordova or 
Valladolid ; but that conveys faint praise. Without entering 
into details, it remains a fact that Burgos was a noble Castilian 
city, and there the sovereign counts and afterward the kings of 
that proud realm were once pleased to reside. There Pedro the 
Cruel added much to his unenviable renown, and there the 
immortal Cid compelled Alfonso VI. to swear that he was 
innocent of the blood of his brother, Sancho II. 

The Cid is the legendary hero of Spain, and his deeds of 
might have been recounted in history and in song. The story 
of his life reads like a knightly romance of mediaeval times, 
and a portion is doubtless the crystallized national enthusiasm 
of centuries. Don Rodrigo Ruy Diaz was born of noble blood 
at Vibar, near Burgos, a.d. 1026. His soldierly qualities and 
influence were such that at twenty years of age he was knighted 
by Ferdinand I., and later he was driven from the court of Al- 
fonso VI. for compelling that monarch to take the oath above 
indicated. An invasion of Castile by the Moors called for his 
services, and, at the head of an army of volunteers, he drove 
the enemy from the kingdom. The Hospital of San Lazaro 
at Palencia had become the hero's home, and thither he took his 
devoted bride, Ximena Gomez, whose father he had killed in 
battle. Valencia, Palencia, and the Castle of Burgos all claim 
the honor of his wedding, but with probability in favor of the 

24* 



362 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

]ast. A second time he was banished, but in a successful cam- 
paign he wrested Valencia from the Moors, and reestablished 
himself in favor at court. At the siege of Zamora his prowess 
brought five Moorish kings to his feet with tribute, and as an 
additional token of homage they addressed him as Cid Cam pea- 
dor, the Lord and Champion, or Champion Prince. He died 
at Valencia in 1099, and thence to Burgos his corse made a 
triumphal march, strapped upon his charger Bavieca. For 
seven years the embalmed Cid was seated upon a throne in the 
cathedral; but his mission was not yet complete. The Moors, 
no longer in dread of his might, had reached the very gates of 
Burgos, and the city seemed doomed to fall. Then the dead 
champion was placed on a horse, and led forth to encounter 
the foe. The strange apparition of the departed victor in- 
spired the Moors with terror, and nerved the Castilians to 
irresistible valor. The day closed, and once more the invinci- 
ble Cid had won the battle for Castile. Now his lifeless body 
was committed to a sepulchre in the convent of San Pedro de 
Cardena, five miles from Burgos. There it remained until his 
bones were brought to the city hall, where they now rest in 
a Avalnut urn, and exposed to view by lifting the lid. And 

there 

" He so sepulchred in such pomp doth lie. 
That kings for such a tomb would wish to die." 

While there are larger and more massive cathedrals in Spain, 
that of Burgos is universally agreed to be the most beautiful. 
No mere outline can afford any adequate idea of its architec- 
tural richness. It is essentially a study for the eye and not 
for the pen. The order is Gothic ; the purest, the most har- 
monious of the thirteenth century. Others have more minute 
sculpture, but nothing is here wanting to combine character and 
sublimity. The principal facade has three portals, and above 
each of the outer two is an open, graceful tower, not unlike 
the one at Strasburg, but of a reduced height. Over the 



CASTILIAN SPAIN. 363 

centre of the building is the dome of the lantern, and in the 
rear the tower of the Constable's Chapel, both magnificently 
ornamented with statuettes of saints, Gothic canopies, filigree 
pinnacles, and other airy elaboration. The four side entrances 
are also handsome, and add greatly to the exterior beauty. 
The interior has the form of a Latin cross, three hundred feet 
in length, and two hundred and thirteen in width at the 
widest point. The cloisters, the Archbishop's palace, and 
several chapels surrounding the cross, somewhat complicate 
the plan. Twenty massive octagonal pillars form three naves, 
but the perspective is obstructed by the intrusion of the choir 
and the high altar. The preeminent feature of the interior is 
the lantern, which, with its four pillars and lofty dome, is 
of marvellous grandeur. The chapels of the Constable and 
Santiago (St. James the Elder) are the gems of the ten, and 
the former is of especial richness. There are sixty tombs in 
the cathedral, including several of the old royal families and 
distinguished ecclesiastics of Burgos. 

A short distance from the town is the Cartuja, or Carthu- 
sian convent, which, after its destruction by fire, was rebuilt 
by Isabel of Castile. The church is of the florid Gothic order, 
but of less interest than the superb royal tombs. The latter 
are of the mausoleum style, surmounted by recumbent figures 
and intricately carved. The occupants are Juan II., Queen 
Isabella of Portugal, and Don Alfonso, — the father, the mother, 
and the brother of Isabel. The once puissant Castle of Bur- 
gos is but little more than a wreck, although still garrisoned 
and mounted with antiquated guns. The associations of its 
site are the sum of its remaining glory, and to tell them would 
be to recount much of the history of Castile. In it Pedro the 
Cruel was born ; Edward I. of England was married to Elea- 
nor of Castile ; and Xapoleon made his headquarters. The 
French mined considerable of the fortress upon their final 
evacuation in 1813.. 



364 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

At one entrance to the Plaza Mayor is an extremely pictu- 
resque gate, called the Arco de Santa Maria, or Arch of St. 
Mary, which was erected by the Burgolese in honor of the 
Emperor Charles V. The structure is crowned with turrets 
and battlements, and ornamented with statues of Charles V., 
the Cid, Fernan Gonzalez, and others. Along the banks of 
the river Arlanzon is the principal street of Burgos, the Espo- 
lon, which, with its continuation, forms a fine shaded promen- 
ade. This walk is the favorite haunt of the people, and 
among those of more modern type is a sprinkling of the anti- 
quated Castilian, wrapped in a long, shabby cloak, and wear- 
ing a high-crown felt hat, much the worse for age. Poor, lazy, 
and un progressive though he be, his eyes flash defiance, his 
spirit is all pride, and his thoughts dwell contentedly on his 
own Castilian blood. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 

Coming northward from Burgos, the last Castilian town is 
Miranda. The Basque Provinces, or ancient Cantabria, are 
entered just beyond, and the scenery assumes the Swiss aspect. 
The Basques are a peculiar people, and have a language of 
their own different from all others of Europe. Their moun- 
tain life renders them hardy, and in point of industry they 
form a strong contrast with their Spanish brethren. The vil- 
lages are inviting on account of their neatness; the mountain 
slopes are charming with verdure and cultivation ; the roads 
are like park drives; the women have an air of refinement 
with their beauty; and the stranger receives the impression of 
a people of deserved prosperity and happiness. The change 
from the Castiles has been so sudden and distinct that the 
traveller is prompted to express his delight. In addition to 
the scenery he cannot but admire the skill and determination 
which have been displayed in opening a railroad through these 
rugged spurs of the Pyrenees. For many miles the train is 
apparently in tunnels as much as on the open road, and yet 
many severe surface grades remain to be overcome. 

Yittoria, the capital of the province of Alava, is the first 
Basque town of note, its modern celebrity resting chiefly on 
the battle of that name fought June 21, 1813, between the 
Duke of Wellington and King Joseph Bonaparte. The de- 
feat of the French was so complete that not only was King 
Joseph's rule in Spain forever terminated, but also his immense 

365 



366 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

treasures were among the spoils of the victors. Zumarraga, a 
beautiful summer resort; Tolosa, a manufacturing town; and 
Hernani, a mountain refuge, are passed before San Sebastian is 
reached. 

The topography of San Sebastian is similar to that of Gibral- 
tar, on a reduced scale. So great was its natural and artificial 
strength that it became the theatre of a fierce conflict near the 
close of the Peninsular War. The French held the citadel 
with the tenacity of desperation, and the Allies, no less deter- 
mined to complete the work of ridding Spain of the intruders, 
assaulted the stronghold with the nerving prestige of victory. 
When the triumph was finally achieved, even the stern com- 
mands of the invincible duke were powerless to prevent a scene 
of devastation and arson which is a lasting stain on the chivalry 
of British arms. With the return of peace, a modern San Se- 
bastian rose on the ashes of the old town, and now, on account 
of its favorable location on the Bay of Biscay, it has become 
an esteemed Spanish watering-place. An hour's run from San 
Sebastian brings the train to Irun, the last Spanish station, 
from the port of wdiich Lafayette sailed to earn the gratitude of 
the American people. True to the Spanish instinct for delay, 
an unnecessary halt of thirty minutes or more occurs at Irun, 
much to the annoyance of the traveller, who is usually anxious 
to cross the frontier from a country where dishonesty has been 
so prevalent among nearly all who have served him. An offi-. 
cer opened the carriage-door and inquired for passports, but 
knowing that the formula is only resorted to when no other 
plan to consume time can be contrived, we concluded not to 
comprehend, and that ended his efforts. 

Within ten minutes after leaving Irun the Bidassoa was 
crossed, and we were once more in France. Once more within 
easy distance of Paris, the home of the American abroad! 
The fact that the diminutive Bidassoa for a distance of twelve 
miles constitutes the frontier line has rendered it of exalted 



THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 367 

historical interest. A mere spot of land in the stream is dig- 
nified with the title of Tile de la Conference, in commemora- 
tion of the international conferences of which it has been the 
scene. There, in 1526, Francis I. of France, as a prisoner, 
was exchanged for his two sons; in 1659 Cardinal Mazarin 
and Don Lnis de Haro agreed upon the Treaty of the Pyre- 
nees; and in 1660 Louis XIV. held the first interview with 
his future bride, Maria Theresa, daughter of Philip IV. The 
"Passage of the Bidassoa" by Wellington, on October 7, 1813, 
was a masterly manoeuvre, which surprised Marshal Soult and 
exposed him to defeat from a quarter wholly unexpected. 

The stream is scarcely crossed before the train stops at Hen- 
daye, the first French station, noted for its brandy distilleries. 
The luggage is taken into the douane, and a polite official 
inquires if monsieur has anything to declare. A courteous 
answer in the negative obviates the necessity of opening the 
trunks, and they are at once placed on the scales. The French 
allowance of luggage is the same as the Spanish, but the dif- 
ference in the gross weight, as marked on the receipt, exposed 
the extent to which we had been overcharged by the Spaniards. 
An English lady and her daughter, who happened to be 
our fellow-travellers, had been defrauded just double our 
amount. Let it be hoped the government of Spain will soon 
devote its attention to these faithless railroad officials. At an 
exchange office in the Hendaye station we were astonished to 
receive twenty-five francs for an isabel, the Spanish five dollar 
gold piece. Astonished is the correct word, because we had 
become accustomed to being sacrificed in money transactions, 
both drawing and changing, from Cadiz to the Pyrenees. It 
was really a novelty to have one fair operation. 

The first-class carriages on the French train seemed lux- 
urious in comparison with those just left, and it was a genu- 
ine satisfaction to whirl along at modern speed in a modern 
country. Through St. Jean de Luz we went, that little town 



368 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

which still glories in the wedding of Louis XIV. and Maria 
Theresa, even though it occurred so long ago as June 9, 1660. 
The entire day had been consumed, and it was past ten o'clock 
when we arrived at the pretty stone station for Biarritz, from 
which a closed wagonette completed the journey to luxurious 
quarters at that resort. 

Biarritz is one of those radiant gems of nature which man 
so appropriately seeks for his havens of rest and recreation. 
Although long a watering-place, its fame dates only from the 
time when Napoleon III. adopted it as the imperial summer 
residence. The selection was made through the wishes of the 
Empress Eugenie, who had annually patronized it while she 
was the Spanish Countess of Montijo. The rocky Gascon 
village was then lavishly improved; a breakwater, to form a 
port, was undertaken ; and the aristocracy ornamented the bluff 
with their expensive villas. An eligible site, with a spread of 
woodland in the rear, was chosen for the Villa Eugenie ; but 
the building itself is unimposing, although a large sum was 
expended in its construction. The title is still vested in the 
ex-empress, but since the memorable collapse at Sedan the 
place has remained closed. 

The glory of Biarritz is in the picture it presents, and therein 
is sufficient capital for its continued prosperity. One morning 
the glow of beauty seemed heightened by a contrast with the 
preceding day's tempest, and the remembrance of its grandeur 
prompts a description of the panorama as it appeared from 
the window of our room. Imagine a mild, clear day after 
a storm. The surf has subsided and the tide is low. Great 
masses of rock are scattered within reach of the breakers, where 
they have doubtless been thrown by the chafing and fretting 
of the sea through many ages. The broken beach is here 
and there picked out with bunches of green sea-weed, now 
fully exposed by the absence of water. Little harbors, or 
havens, have been formed through utilizing favorable groups 



THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 369 

of rocks by erecting thereon walls of masonry, and a score of 
bateaux of various hues rest in the shallow basins. Out in 
the bay are several small craft; a steamer is passing northward, 
leaving an almost undisturbed wake of smoke, and a brig 
under full sail is beating inward for a new tack. To the right, 
on a rocky promontory, is the tall light-house, from which al- 
ternate red and white flashes issue at night. Not far from it 
is the deserted Villa Eugenie. To the left a portion of the town 
is visible, generally unique cottages or villas, as the high, pro- 
jecting ground renders the situation a choice one. On a rugged, 
verdure-crowned rock is the signal-station, with a good house 
attached, and apparently farther out stands a large wooden 
cross, upon which the passing sailor looks with reverence. 
Below the window the slopes are grassed and laid out in walks, 
and down close to the natural rocky sea-wall are a neat road 
and a promenade. Finally, to the left, standing somewhat 
alone, is the favorite Romish church of the town; a facade 
imitating Moorish lineaments, and a newer tower which is 
Gothic, if anything. And such is Biarritz. 

A pleasant excursion from Biarritz is to Bayonne, which is 
distant ten kilometres, or six miles. A toy railway, with seats 
on the roof of the cars; the diligence on a beautiful road 
bordered with trees; and a private carriage by the Barre drive 
along the sea, afford a choice of conveyances. About half- 
way by the Barre is Le Refuge, the nunnery of the " Servantes 
de Marie'' and the " Bernardines." The first are employed 
in teaching and in providing clothing for the needy, and the 
second are vowed to silence. Unless absolutely necessary, it 
is claimed they never utter a syllable ! 

Bayonne is considered the military key to the passage of the 
Pyrenees on the west, for which reason it has been strongly 
fortified. The citadel, the most formidable of the many forts, 
which was planned by Vauban, commands the navigable river 
Adour, on which the town is built. The English made a gal- 



370 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

lant attempt to carry it by investment in the spring of 1814, 
but their efforts were unavailing. The declaration of peace 
soon after obviated a repetition of the siege. Entering by the 
Porte d'Espagne, through which Napoleon's army passed to 
Spain, we find ourselves in a cheerful, neat Basque town. 
The garrison is strong; the Allees Marines along the river is 
a beautiful shaded promenade ; and when the military band 
performs on the Place d'Armes, on Thursday afternoon, the 
pretty grisette and all her sisters attend in holiday attire. The 
productions of the town are brandy, chocolate, and hams. The 
genuine Bayona hams, however, are those from a place of that 
name in Galicia, the northwest province of Spain. 

Tradition ascribes the invention of the bayonet to Bayonne, 
whence, it is said, the name is derived. Some writers deny the 
claim, and assert that the weapon was employed long before the 
date of the invention as stated by local scribes. Another au- 
thority grants that the men of Bayonne were armorers in olden 
times, and that the bayonet was first contrived in the vicinity. 
The story relates that a Basque regiment on the Rhune Moun- 
tains, in the Pyrenees, near St. Jean de Luz, in the sixteenth 
or seventeenth century, was attacked by Spaniards, and falling 
short of ammunition, the men thrust their long knives into 
the musket-barrels, and thus originated the weapon which was 
at once improved and called the bayonet. The word Bayonne 
is derived from the Basque Baia una, " one bay," or practically 
"a port," on account of its safe river front near the sea. 

The grand Gothic cathedral is the chief attraction of the 
town ; and now that its stately towers are about being com- 
pleted, after a delay of five hundred years, the edifice is well 
worthy of attention. The distant Pyrenees and the surround- 
ing landscape form a charming view from one of the new 
spires, and the pleasure is increased if the weazened dame who 
holds the keys will accompany the visitor to the eyrie as a 
cicerone. 



THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 37 1 

Biarritz has no relic of historical association except the 
imperial Villa Eugenie. As we approached it from the beach 
one afternoon, its appearance formed an impressive example 
of the uncertainties of fortune. The fences were broken, the 
grass was growing wild, and paint was sadly needed. Royalty 
is dead or exiled, its mansion is silent and tenantless; but 
ocean's majestic surf in Biscay's bay dashes inward against 
the rocks and over the short beach as it has for unrecorded 
ages ; a monarch whose dominion is undisputed and eternal, 
whose pomp is the theme of the exalted and the envy of kings; 
a sovereign panoplied in truly "Divine right," and alike indif- 
ferent to fickle man's homage or his frowns. Mighty Ocean ! 

" Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow — 
Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now." 

Having finished Biarritz, our next objective point on the 
line to Paris was Bordeaux. The first place of any note north 
of Bayonne is Dax, which possesses a group of hot springs of 
effective medicinal qualities. The water is almost tasteless, 
and its temperature is nearly 106° Fahrenheit. Four miles 
farther on is Buglose station, the birthplace of the shepherd 
boy, St. Vincent de Paul, the originator of the order of the 
Sisters of Charity. Continuing northward a few miles more, 
cultivation commences to decrease, until finally it almost ceases 
in the curious district familiar as the Landes. This section, 
until within a few decades, was a great expanse of dunes, or 
low hills of shifting sand, without fresh water or fertility. 
Even now the country is dreary and uninviting, but an im- 
mense improvement has been effected by extensively planting 
the fir. Such has been their increase of late years that the 
Landes may now be called a great pine forest on sandy soil. 
Every tree of any size bears the marks of incisions, and the 
product of turpentine and resin has become considerable. An- 
other benefit resulting from the introduction of the fir has been 



372 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

to overcome most of the shifting of the sand, which greatly 
aids the increasing efforts at cultivation. Probably this change 
in the nature of the ground has, to a great extent, obviated 
the necessity for the use of stilts among the peasantry, as they 
are now rarely seen on the line of the railways. Following 
the course of the Bayonne road, the wine country commences 
only within ten miles of Bordeaux. At that distance the 
Graves district is entered, and thence through Pessac to Bor- 
deaux we find a succession of vineyards. 

The great wine centre of France is an active commercial 
city of broad avenues and modern buildings, but with few 
sights. Local guides invite the traveller to see the Place des 
Quinconces, Cours and Allies de Tourny, Pave* des Chartrons, 
Cours du Jardin Public, Place Dauphine, Jardin Public, and 
others of similar import. The entire list is nothing more than 
a succession of noble avenues and handsome parks like our 
squares. They certainly constitute the lustre of Bordeaux, 
and the Bordelais are justly proud of them ; but with a carriage 
they are quickly seen and afford no material for description. 
The grand quais along the Garonne and the general features of 
the river-front well repay such a drive. Again, the fine stone 
bridge over the Garonne is notable, as compared with simi- 
lar European structures. It was finished in 1821 ; measures 
one thousand five hundred and ninety-six feet long by forty- 
nine wide, and has seventeen arches. From the middle the 
view of the city is quite effective. Two of the old gates of 
the city are yet standing in a good state of preservation, — La 
Porte du Palais and La Porte de l'Hotel de Yille, the latter 
having three conical turrets. A relic of the time when Bor- 
deaux was the Roman city Burdigala exists in the form of a 
remnant of an amphitheatre, improperly called the Palais 
Gallien. The modern Grand Theatre is a large and imposing 
edifice with a Corinthian peristyle, much the same as the Paris 
Bourse. 



THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 373 

The church architecture ranks as the highest in Bordeaux. 
The Gothic Cathedral of St. Andre has two most elaborate 
facades and two exquisite spires one hundred and fifty feet high. 
The symmetry of the interior is marred by an excess of width 
as compared with the height, except in the choir, which is truer 
to Gothic proportions. Adjacent to the cathedral is the belfry 
known as the Tower of Peyberland. Its order is florid Gothic, 
with a height of two hundred feet. A graceful spire which 
formerly surmounted the tower was destroyed during the 
Reign of Terror, and an inartistic colossal gilded Madonna was 
unfortunately substituted. The Gothic Church of St. Michel 
is second in order of grandeur, and likewise has a beautiful 
detached tower, with its uniformity happily preserved by the 
possession of its delicate spire. The Church of St. Croix has 
a noted Romanesque front, and St. Seurin is content with the 
tomb of that saint, who was a bishop of Bordeaux in the fifth 
century. Montaigne, who was mayor of the city in 1583, 
is entombed in the Church of the Feuillants, which is other- 
wise without interest. 

The Cours du Pave des Chartrons is the vicinity in which 
the wine merchants have their offices and cellars. Strangers 
who desire to visit these establishments are cordially received 
and generously introduced to the choicest growths. We 
selected one of the most extensive cellars for our tour of in- 
spection, Avhere a competent clerk was courteously assigned as 
a guide, as well as an attendant with a light, a siphon, a glass, 
and a gimlet. We also carried candles, nicely mounted to 
avoid any contact. Although unable to state the aggregate 
dimensions of the subterranean apartments through which 
we were conducted, they contained between one hundred and 
fifty and two hundred thousand bottles of various wines, in 
addition to numerous casks filled with cognac and new vin- 
tages. Upon inquiry, our informant could give no deriva- 
tion for the word " claret." It originated in England, and 



374 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

was accepted as a general term for the red wines of the 
Gironde. 

A dry, hot season is the most favorable for a successful vin- 
tage ; and should the weather prove the contrary, the qualities 
of every cr4, or growth, are reduced. The Chambre Syndicale 
des Courtiers, or Board of Brokers, establishes a table of classi- 
fication to which the trade generally adheres as a basis of op- 
erations. According to M. Ch. Cocks, who is the accepted 
authority, the order of merit of the vins rouges is as follows : 

PREMIERS CRUS. 

Chateau-Lafitte, Pauillac. 
Chateau-Margaux, Margaux. 
Chateau-Latour, Pauillac. 
Chateau-Haut-Brion, Pessac. 

DEUXIEMES CRUS. 

Mouton, Pauillac. 

Rauzan, Margaux. 

Leoville, Saint- Julien. 

Durfort-Vivens, Margaux. 

Lascombes, Margaux. 

Larose, Saint-Julien. 

The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Growths are numerous and 
scarcely of sufficient interest to be transcribed. Many con- 
noisseurs and dealers dissent from the above by giving Chateau- 
Margaux precedence over Chateau-Lafitte in the First Growth, 
and. Leoville over Mouton in the Second Growth. The differ- 
ence must closely approach a question of taste when prominent 
Parisian cafes offer them at the same price for a given vintage. 

The product of a vineyard is liable to vary through a change 
of owners, inattention, or an unfavorable season. The last 
will of course affect all, and hence when the weather is auspi- 
cious the third-growth wines may be equal to those of the 



THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 375 

second of an unfortunate year. The most unlikely, stony soil, 
and the stunted vine rather than the nourishing, produce the 
best wines; and it is curious to note the abrupt transition from 
choice to indifferent ground. Thus, while much of the wine 
of the commune of Margaux is of the first growth, it has like- 
wise a representation in the second, third, and fourth growths. 
Soil yielding the richest wines may be divided from the inferior 
or the worthless only by a fence. The line of demarcation 
between the unfertile Landes and the precious Mecloc is as 
distinct as that which indicates the extent of the overflow of 
the Nile. Nature is barren on one hand and bounteous on the 
other. 

The M6doc district comprises the strip of country north of 
Bordeaux and west of the Garonne, almost to its mouth. The 
Graves is south of the city, and follows closely the bank of 
the river for a distance of about twenty-five miles. The Sau- 
terne lies south of the Graves, but still adhering to the vicinity 
of the river. These are subdivided into numerous communes 
and villages, from which the wines are named. There are 
other less important neighboring districts, scarcely necessary to 
detail in this imperfect sketch. The Graves vintages include 
both rouges and blanches. In accordance with M. Cocks, the 
order of merit of red wines of this section is as follows : 

La Vidure-Sauvignonne (Cabernet-Sauvignon). 

La Petite-Vidure (Petit-Cabernet). 

La Grosse-Vidure (Gros-Cabernet). 

Le Petit-Verdot, 

Le Cabouet (Carmenere). 

Le Merlot. 

Le Malbec. 

In the white wines the order of precedence is : Sauvignon, 
Semillon, Muscadelle, and Blanc-Verdet. The best communes 
of the Graves are Pessac (including the Chateau Haut-Brion), 
Talence, M6rignac, Leognan, Gradignan, and Villenave-d'Or- 



376 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

non. " Les vins de Graves ont du corps, une belle couleur, de 
la finesse, une s§ve tr§s-prononcee et sont tr£s-agr6ables dans 
les meilleurs crus." 

The Sauternes are les grands vins Manes of the Gironde, 
headed by the incomparable Chateau- Yquem, which is classed 
by itself as an Exceptional First Growth. It is the choicest 
and most expensive wine produced in the Bordeaux country, 
or, as M. Cocks asserts, in the world. The section comprised 
in the Sauterne district includes the communes of Sauternes, 
Bommes, Barsac, and a part of Preignac and of Fargues. The 
latest classification of the regular First Growth Sauternes is : 

Chateau- Vigneau, Bommes. 

Chateau-Peyraguey, Bommes. 

Chateau-Guiraud, Sauternes. 

Chateau-La-Tour-Blanche, Bommes. 

Chateau-Rieussec, Fargues, etc. 

The Second and Third Growths are numerous and of gen- 
erally unfamiliar names, as viewed from the standpoint of 
American wine cards. Entre-deux-Mers, Blayais, the arron- 
dissement of Libourne, and other divisions of the Gironde 
wine country are of secondary importance to those above 
enumerated. 

Following the line of the railroad through Pessac to Lamothe 
Junction, and thence by a branch line, it is thirty-five miles to 
the new watering-place called Arcachon. The first ten miles 
are through the Graves district, and thence to the sea we have 
Les Grandes Landes, already described. The town is built 
upon a triangular bay named the Bassin d' Arcachon, apparently 
an inauspicious site, as surf is almost entirely absent, so narrow 
is the opening into the sea. Whatever American devotion to 
breakers may decide, the French have evidently deemed the 
spot favorable, as the town has been built with surprising 
rapidity. The principal street is of considerable length, and 
the beach is bordered with scores of chalets of unique designs. 



THE PYRENEES AND WESTERN FRANCE. 377 

Previous to 1854 the place contained only a few fishermen's 
huts, but now it possesses the hotels and appointments of a 
fashionable resort. The mild atmosphere and the great extent 
of pine forests inland conspire to render it an excellent winter 
haven for those afflicted with pulmonary affections. 

The journey from Bordeaux to Paris is through one of 
the most interesting sections of France. The distance is not 
far from three hundred and sixty miles, which is accom- 
plished by the " first-class express" in nine and a quarter 
hours. Once, upon timing the train by the schedule, it proved 
to be running at a speed of three miles in three minutes. Were 
it not for the stoppages, including one of a half-hour for 
dejeuner a la fourchette, the aggregate time could be much re- 
duced. The first notable place on the line is Angouleme, the 
capital of the department of the Charente. There the Black 
Prince resided after the battle of Poitiers ; and Marguerite of 
Yalois, Queen of Navarre, was born in the castle, of which 
but a tower now remains. The same stronghold was the refuge 
of Marie de Medicis after her husband's assassination. The 
town of Cognac, the seat of the brandy vineyards, is situated 
about twenty-five miles west of Angouleme. Farther on, as 
a point of interest, is renowned Poitiers. There Clovis over- 
came the Visigoths under Alaric, a.d. 507, and in 1356 the 
English and Gascons under the Black Prince routed the French 
and took King John of France prisoner. Next of importance 
on the route is Tours, which is prettily located on the river 
Loire, and was celebrated in the middle ages for its venerated 
shrine of St. Martin. The Huguenots appropriated the treas- 
ures of the shrine in 1562, and in 1790 the revolutionists 
razed the church. The grand Cathedral of St. Gatien, with 
its two high towers, forms a conspicuous object in the city as 
viewed from the railroad. Soon after leaving Tours we reach 
Amboise, the seat of a castle hallowed as the residence of the 
kings of France, and now the property of the Comte de Paris. 

25 



378 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Then comes' Blois, with the castle in which Henri III. and 
Catherine de Medicis accomplished the assassination of Henri 
le Balfre, Due de Guise, in 1588. The Park and Chateau de 
Charnbord, once a favorite haunt of royalty, are twelve miles 
east of Blois. Following the course of the Loire, the stately 
Gothic Cathedral of Orleans soon appears to announce the 
proximity of that city. There, in 1429, the inspired Jeanne 
d'Arc, the Maid of Orleans, first encountered the British foe, 
and in one week defeat was changed into victory under her 
white banner and mystic blade. Continuing northward we 
pass through Etampes, the allotted abode of Diana of Poitiers 
and other kingly favorites; and Choisy-le-Roi, the site of 
Madame de Pompadour's chateau, and Paris is in view. 

The train rolls into the Orleans station near the Jardin des 
Plantes, and our journey through the Orient and Southern 
Europe is completed. Six months, less one week, have elapsed 
since our departure from Paris, and we return with joyous 
anticipations of the period to be allotted to rest and the 
Exposition. 



PART II. 
A SUMMER IN THE NORTH. 



379 



OUTLYING EUROPE 



AND 



THE NEARER ORIENT, 



CHAPTER XXI. 



BELGIUM. 



Winter has given place to early summer, and Paris is 
mirrored in the brilliant halo of the Exposition. Multitudes 
gather daily within the great structures on the Champ de Mars 
and the Trocadero. Carriages for the nonce are seldom dis- 
engaged, and the drivers improve the slightest pretext to 
exceed the tariff so strictly enforced by the Prefect of Police. 
The Avenue des Champs Elysees, from the Place de la Con- 
corde to the Arc de Triomphe, is thronged with a myriad of 
moving vehicles, while the boulevards, and notably the junc- 
tion at the Place de l'Opera, present a matchless pageant of 
life and variety. The treasure-houses of the Louvre; the 
salon at the Palais de Flndustrie ; the drives in the JBois de 
Boulogne; the swift steamers on the Seine, reflect alike the 
same picture in different hues. The spacious magasins and the 
countless shops, with their enticing displays, radiate as well 
the lustrous garnish of animation. By night the dazzling en- 
semble culminates in an illumination marvellously lavish. The 

381 



382 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Place and Avenue de l'Opera, with the vivid JablochkofT electric 
light, are resplendent as if with the concentrated refulgence of 
a hundred moons. And not less wondrous is the magnificent 
vista of the Garden of the Tuileries, the Place de la Concorde, 
and the Champs Elysees with their blazing caf6s chantant, — a 
spectacle of peerless, flashing splendor. Everywhere the tables 
fronting the cafes are taxed to their utmost capacity; the harvest 
at the pleasure gardens is equally bountiful ; and yet the many 
theatres are assured of replete audiences seeking the allurements 
of the Parisian stage. Social gayety is spirited, and friends from 
home are registered at the hotels and banking-houses. In 
brief, every element that enslaves the senses is here clustered 
in the sheen of fascination. Now, in forcible contrast with 
the Paris of our opening chapter, it demands a courageous 
struggle to abandon this enchantment for the fatigues and 
privations of northern travel. But the panorama of the world 
will not unroll itself to those who linger where luxury invites, 
and ofttimes, as now, the student traveller must yield to a 
reluctant departure. 

Leaving the American quarter, the vicinity of the most 
magnificent lyric temple of the world, our carriage enters the 
Rue de Lafayette and hurries to the station on the Place Rou- 
baix. The tickets are secured, the luggage is weighed, and a 
polite attendant, who carries the hand-satchels, conducts us to 
our places. The speed attained by the afternoon express on 
the Chemin de fer du Nord, from Paris to Brussels, must sat- 
isfy the most impatient tourist, but, unfortunately, the benefit 
of such a pace is greatly reduced by protracted stoppages. 
Passing the hill of Montmartre, the attention is first arrested 
by the fortifications which encircle the city, recalling the mem- 
orable siege of the late Franco-Prussian war. Six miles from 
Paris is St. Denis, which contains the Abbey Church, the sep- 
ulchre of the kings of France. Traversing a country which 
is almost a continuous garden, we soon reach Chantilly, the 



BELGIUM. 383 

seat of the chateau of the great Cond6, whose splendid stables 
now serve the race-course, the Newmarket of France, into 
which a portion of the domain has been converted. Crossing 
the river Oise, we halt at Creil, which is located at the junc- 
tion of five railways. Proceeding again, the next place of in- 
terest is Compiegne, which is noted for its great palace and 
stately forest, the residence to which Maria Louisa of Austria 
was conducted in 1810 when she succeeded the unfortunate 
Josephine as the bride of Napoleon I. Farther on, at Noyon, 
in Picardy, now the department of the Oise, John Calvin was 
born on the 10th of July, 1500. Then we come to Tergnier, 
a buffet station, where the schedule provides for dinner, which 
may be enjoyed with comfort. 

A few miles northwest of Tergnier is the old castle of Ham, 
now a state-prison, in which Louis Napoleon, the late Emperor 
of the French, was immured for six years, from 1840, for an 
attempt on the throne of France. In the coup d'etat of De- 
cember 2, 1851, the same Napoleon, as president of the repub- 
lic, ordered the imprisonment in the identical citadel of the 
Generals Cavaignac, Changarnier, and Lamoriciere, and others 
of the republican majority of the Assembly. Continuing the 
journey, we duly arrive at St. Quentin, a manufacturing town 
on the canal of the same name. The latter connects the Scheldt, 
the Somme, and the Oise. St. Quentin has one of the noblest 
cathedrals in the north of France, but the place is chiefly cele- 
brated for the victory of Philip II. of Spain over the French, 
August 10, 1557, which led to the construction of the Esco- 
rial. Now we speed through a level wooded section where 
cultivation is conspicuous, and then across an expanse where 
trees are few and windmills numerous. Approaching the 
frontier, the ground becomes more rolling, and the coal-fields 
commence. Passing the fortress town of Maubeuge, which 
stands a short distance to the left of the railroad, the train en- 
ters the kingdom of Belgium and stops at Quevy. Here all 



384 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER 0RIEN1 

luggage must undergo examination, but the process is by no 
means rigorous, and politeness on the part of the traveller 
further reduces it to a mere form. Pursuing our course again, 
coal-mining becomes more extensive, and the iron interest 
begins to assume importance. Mons is the first considerable 
town on the line in Belgium, and from the train an excellent 
view is afforded of its superb Gothic Church of St. Waudru, 
which dates from the fifteenth century. The place is sur- 
rounded by walls and otherwise strongly fortified. Thence 
we pass through Hal, near which is grown the finest flax used in 
the manufacture of Brussels lace. This town is in the prov- 
ince of South Brabant, nine miles from the capital, and not far 
from Quatre Bras and Waterloo. We are always pleased to 
reach the terminus of a long and dusty ride, and therefore the 
Station du Midi, at Brussels, with its gleaming electric light, 
is gladly welcomed less than two hours before midnight. 

Probably no city in Europe is improving more steadily than 
Brussels. Several new streets are being opened, and public 
and private buildings are in progress. Among the structures 
of note lately occupied are the new Grand Hotel and the 
Bourse; and the splendid Palais de Justice is nearly completed. 
The first is owned by the company which until very lately 
controlled its namesake in Paris. The cafe, dining-hall, and 
reception-rooms are noticeable for richness of finish and decora- 
tion. The newer sections of Brussels resemble Paris, and the 
cleanliness and thorough repair of the streets cannot but excite 
admiration. 

The Belgian capital is rich in objects of interest for the tour- 
ist, among which art is conspicuous. The Senate Chamber 
and hall of the House of Representatives, in the Palace of the 
Nation, are both excellently planned and handsomely decorated, 
— the former being especially elaborate. The political parties 
are divided into Liberals and Conservatives, the ministry 
being selected from the majority. Senators are elected for 



BELGIUM. 385 

eight years, and representatives for half that period. Belgium 
has been autonomous only since 1830, it having been for 
some time previous subject to Holland. A fitting monument, 
by Geefs, with vaults beneath, which stands in the Place des 
Martyrs, was erected as a memorial of those who fell in the 
streets in the revolt against Holland. The figure of free 
Belgium is represented as having just inscribed on a tablet the 
memorable days of the struggle, — 23d, 24th, 25th, and 26th 
of September, 1830. The imposing Colonne du Congres, in 
the Rue Royale, celebrates the confirmation of the liberal con- 
stitution, which was adopted soon after the state secured its 
freedom. A statue of the first monarch, Leopold I., Prince 
of Saxe Coburg-Gotha, surmounts the shaft, while at the base 
are two immense solid bronze Belgian lions. 

The national museums are grouped in the Palais des Beaux 
Arts, which was formerly the residence of the Dukes of Brabant, 
as well as of the Spanish and Austrian governors of the Low 
Countries. The pictures, which form the principal display in 
the building, comprise a large number of the Flemish school, 
including a few by Rubens. A bizarre collection of paintings 
is that in the Wiertz Museum. Many of that artist's concep- 
tions are similar to Dore's, such as the " The Revolt in Heaven," 
and " Thoughts of a Head one, two, and three Minutes after 
Decapitation." The Cathedral of St. Gudule, the largest and 
finest church edifice of Brussels, which dates from the twelfth 
or thirteenth century, is of the pointed Gothic style, with two 
towers of later construction. The windows are richly painted, 
and the pulpit is celebrated as a masterpiece of carving. 

The Hotel de Ville, which was built at the beginning of 
the fifteenth century, is a magnificent Gothic structure, with a 
tower and spire three hundred and sixty-four feet high, the 
latter being surmounted by a statue of St. Michael, the tute- 
lary saint of Brussels. The tower, which originally stood at 
one end, is now perceptibly out of the middle of the facade, 



386 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the result of the addition of the north wing at a later period. 
Besides the objects of interest already outlined, there are a 
colossal equestrian monument of Godfrey de Bouillon on the 
Place Royale, the curious Mannekin fountain, the All6e Verte, 
or shaded promenade along the Scheldt canal, and the palace 
of Lacken, in the suburbs. A novelty to the stranger in 
Brussels and other Flemish cities is the employment of dogs 
as a motive power, the larger ones being compelled to draw 
the diminutive wagons and carts of the domestic trades, while 
those of less strength are utilized to turn spits or perform 
other light service. 

Brussels is popularly renowned for the manufacture of lace, 
an industry in which the city excels. The establishments for 
its production are numerous, and their wares are temptingly 
displayed to entice the ladies, or to deplete the purses of their 
fathers or husbands. The operatives in these factories com- 
mence their apprenticeship in early girlhood, striving to acquire 
that skill and patience which their seniors exhibit to a wonder- 
ful degree. The labor also implies a severe strain upon the 
eyes, the assistance of a magnifying-glass sometimes being 
necessary, and often the women become incapacitated by rea- 
son of a complete failure of the sight. The substance of these 
delicate fabrics is either cotton or the thread of the choice 
flax which grows in the vicinity of the city. Laces are dis- 
tinguished as real and imitation, the former being that wrought 
by hand, and the latter the machine-made. The finest is the 
guipure, or point-lace, which is entirely the precious fruit of 
the needle. Next in value is the pillow, or bobbin-lace, which 
is woven by hand upon a cushion covered with a parchment 
bearing the pattern, into which a myriad of pins are stuck to 
guide the nimble fingers in manipulating a labyrinth of threads, 
each gradually unwinding from its pendent spool. The third 
class is the machine-lace, which has reached such beauty and 
perfection that the prices of the more expensive textures, and 






BELGIUM. 387 

the trade in general, have undergone a decided revolution. 
The origin of these ornamental tissues is unknown, but until 
nearly the close of the middle ages there is no trace of any, 
except lace of gold. The first specimens of the species under 
consideration appear to have been the handiwork of the nuns 
of the fourteenth or fifteenth century. 

The field of Waterloo is located rather more than two miles 
from the village of that name, or a total of about tw r elve miles 
south of Brussels. On the night preceding the struggle "Wel- 
lington had fixed his head-quarters at a house in Waterloo, 
from which his despatches were written, thereby establishing 
the present somewhat incorrect title for the battle. Upon ap- 
proaching the village from the capital the carriage is beset by 
guides, hotel-runners, vendors of doubtful relics, and other 
parasites, and the same annoyance is repeated upon arriving at 
Mont St. Jean, the terminus of the drive. Immediately sur- 
rounding this hamlet on the south are the farms upon which 
the opposing armies were distributed. The main line of the 
Allies extended about a mile and a half along; a ridge which 
afforded protection to the troops and offered an excellent posi- 
tion for the artillery. On the opposite heights, about three- 
quarters of a mile across an open intervening valley, Napoleon 
disposed his artillery in a curve and ranged the Grand Army 
in thirteen columns. The main points occupied by the Allies, 
which have thereby become celebrated, are the Mont St. Jean, 
the farm buildings and orchard of La Have Sainte, and the 
chateau and walled garden of Hougoumont, the last being the 
key of the position. The places of leading interest in the 
French lines are La Belle Alliance, where Napoleon stationed 
himself near a house yet standing, and Kossomme, where the 
Imperial Guard was held in reserve until the final unsuccessful 
charge at the close of the day. 

The opposing armies were nearly equal in strength, but 
scarcely any two authorities agree upon the exact numbers 



388 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

engaged. In the midst of conflicting statements an average 
estimate places the forces of each at about seventy thousand, 
but with the preponderance of guns in favor of the French. 
Wellington acted entirely upon the defensive until Bliicher 
and his army of Prussians arrived during the afternoon, when 
Napoleon's defeat became assured. Had Grouchy and his 
thirty-three thousand men reached the emperor from Wavre, 
seventeen miles distant, as the latter expected, the result at 
Waterloo might have been different ; but the order to the mar- 
shal, which was despatched at one o'clock, failed to arrive until 
six, too late to commence the march. Thus the sun which 
rose at Austerlitz set at Waterloo on that memorable 18th of 
June, 1815. The principal evidences of the great struggle 
yet visible are at the chateau and garden of Hougoumont, in 
which the Coldstream Guards resisted every assault of Napo- 
\ leon's legions. The chateau was burned by shells from Jerome 
Bonaparte's command in an endeavor to dislodge the English, 
and the whole remains in a state of ruin. The brick wall 
around the garden still bears the rude holes through which 
the Coldstreams poured their deadly fire. Shortly after the 
battle the King of Holland erected a huge mound two hundred 
feet high and crowned it with a colossal cast-iron Belgic lion, 
to indicate the spot where his son, the Prince of Orange, was 
wounded. Two hundred men are said to have been steadily 
employed for three years to complete this unique monument. 
Beneath it the bones found upon the field were promiscuously 
interred. A flight of steps extends to the summit, from which 
may be had a comprehensive view of the battle-ground and 
the surrounding country almost to Quatre Bras. 

Continuing our journey northward from Brussels we pass 
through Mechlin, where the lace of that name is produced, 
and then arrive at the metropolis of Belgium. Under the 
Emperor Charles V., in the first half of the sixteenth century, 
Antwerp was one of the most important shipping centres of 



BELGIUM. 389 

Europe, and its population then exceeded two hundred thou- 
sand. In the next reign, that of Philip II. of Spain, its citi- 
zens embraced the Reformation, to crush which the tyrannical 
governor, the Duke of Alva, established the Inquisition ; and 
the persecutions which followed wrought serious injury to its 
prosperity. A few years later the Spaniards were driven from 
the city, but in 1485 their authority was restored by the Prince 
of Parma after an eventful siege of fourteen months. In the 
seventeenth century the peace of Westphalia deprived Antwerp 
of the navigation of the Scheldt, which transferred its com- 
merce to Holland. When Napoleon became its master a naval 
arsenal and extensive docks and basins were constructed, which 
contributed greatly to a revival of its activity. Late in 1832 
the Citadel was invested by fifty-five thousand French and 
Belgians, in consequence of events which followed the revolu- 
tion in Belgium ; but the Dutch, who numbered only four 
thousand five hundred, withstood a destructive siege of two 
months before they capitulated. The city is now gradually 
recovering from this latest adversity, and its foreign trade is 
again increasing. 

Antwerp is encompassed on the land side by walls and other 
defences, while the formidable Citadel protects the approach 
by the river. The latter was erected under the direction of 
the Duke of Alva in 1567, and strengthened by the French 
during the Napoleonic war. The city is prominent for the 
grandeur of its churches and the richness of the art collections. 
The Cathedral of Notre Dame, which is one of the most im- 
posing Gothic edifices in the Netherlands, contains the master- 
piece of Rubens, " The Descent from the Cross," as well as his 
"Elevation of the Cross," and other paintings. Amid various 
interior decorations the pulpit and the stalls in the choir are 
remarkable as examples of intricate wood-carving. The 
steeple is a magnificent specimen of Gothic elaboration, and 
ranks as one of the loftiest in Europe; but owing to astonishing 



390 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

discrepancies among the authorities it is impossible to state its 
height with any degree of accuracy. The interior of the 
Church of St. Paul is extravagantly ornamented with paint- 
ings, statuary, rich tablets, marble altars, costly private chapels, 
and a pulpit of sculptured wood. In a yard attached to this 
church are curious representations of the Crucifixion, the Holy 
Sepulchre, and Purgatory, surrounded by figures of angels, 
saints, and Biblical personages. The Church of St. Jacques 
is likewise profusely embellished with objects of art, including 
a carved-wood pulpit, monuments of marble, and painted glass 
windows. The private chapel of the Rubens family, in the 
rear of the high altar, contains the remains of Peter Paul 
Rubens and his two wives. Over the altar is his allegorical 
picture of a Holy Family, in which he represents himself as 
St. George and his wives as the two Marys. The stall which 
he occupied in the choir has above it the family arms, with a 
Latin inscription announcing the ownership. The house in 
which Rubens lived on the Rue de Ruben is also among the 
associations of the Flemish master-artist which abound in 
Antwerp. The tri-centennial anniversary of his birth was 
celebrated here, in the summer of 1877, by a festival which 
continued for ten days. 

The Museum of Antwerp is renowned for its collection of 
the works of Rubens and Van Dyck, and other masters of 
the Flemish school. Of the twenty-two by Rubens, the 
greatest is that designated as " Christ Between the Two 
Thieves/' probably to distinguish it from another called the 
" Crucifixion." Extreme agony and profound emotion are 
portrayed in the former with striking power, while the com- 
position itself is remarkable because of certain features un- 
usual even for this prolific subject. As an example, a man is 
crushing the limbs of one of the thieves, and the sufferer, in 
his horrible contortions, has torn one of his feet entirely free 
of the nail by which it was transfixed. Van Dyck is repre- 



BELGIUM. 391 

sented by six specimens, including two portraits, which were 
his specialty, and a " Crucifixion/ 7 in which the dead Christ 
is executed in his most delicate manner. The catalogue also 
comprises the " Descent from the Cross" by Quentin Matsys, 
the skilled blacksmith who became a painter in compliance 
with the requirement of the artist-father of the lady whom 
he desired to marry. 

The general aspect of Antwerp . is very picturesque, much 
of which is owing to the presence of many houses of the 
antique Dutch style. The Hotel de Yille and the Bourse 
are conspicuous examples of the older architecture, and the 
handsome Theatre Flamand of the modern. The- shipping 
in the docks and basins comprises almost every maritime flag, 
in addition to the scores of minor craft of unmistakably Dutch 
pattern. The latter are almost equally blunt at the bow and 
the stern, and nearly all are finished with the natural wood, 
varnished or oiled. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



HOLLAND, 



When the traveller is called upon at Roosendaal to unlock 
his trunks for examination, the surrounding landscape convinces 
him of his arrival in Holland. The scenery of the country 
is essentially its own, and cannot be found elsewhere. The 
Netherlands, as the name signifies, are low and notably flat, 
many sections having a level below that of the sea ; and where 
the surface is free of trees not an inequality is visible. The 
physical aspect is really that of a delta, formed by the mouths 
of the Scheldt, the Meuse, and the Rhine. In consequence of 
this absence of elevation Holland has become a network of 
canals, which not only drain the land, but also serve as high- 
ways of communication. This singular topography has neces- 
sitated the construction of endless dikes, or barriers of stone 
and earth, to prevent the encroachment of the seas, lakes, and 
rivers. Without these defences the country would be unin- 
habitable, even where it might escape inundation, and hence 
large sums are annually expended for their preservation. 

The facility with which the territory may be flooded renders 
it perilous for an enemy to attempt its occupation, and although 
the employment of such a stratagem empoverishes the people 
for many years, they were equal to the sacrifice to expel the 
Spanish oppressors. The climate is damp and variable, often 
intensely cold in winter and oppressive in summer ; and a 
chilly atmosphere is liable to follow a high temperature, there- 
by engendering fever and ague. Notwithstanding these serious 
392 



HOLLAND. 393 

disadvantages, Holland is one of the most densely populated 
districts of Europe, and the Dutch are conspicuous for their 
thrift, cleanliness, and indefatigable energy. The windmills 
of the Netherlands usurp the place of steam, and so numerous 
are they that six or eight will frequently be seen at a single 
glance from the window of the railway-carriage. The sails of 
many of them are of enormous dimensions, and all are arranged 
to be turned in any direction. 

Holland is a diminutive state, and within two hours after 
crossing the frontier we reach Rotterdam, which is built on the 
river Maas, a continuation of the French Meuse. The aspect 
of Rotterdam is exceedingly picturesque and strange, and the 
shop signs are distracting to a novice in the language. Canals 
intersect the city in every quarter, and the drawbridges span- 
ning them are ever on the move to allow the passage of the 
shipping. The tall, gabled houses are the ideal of quaintness, 
and their promiscuous grouping is often not less amusing. 
Drivers and tradesmen rigidly decline to accept French and 
Belgian silver in payment, but the gold of those countries is 
current at a fair rate of exchange. Rotterdam has no galleries 
or buildings of particular interest, unless it be the brick Church 
of St. Lawrence ; but a few hours may be profitably occupied 
by wandering through the streets, and in visiting the extensive 
shaded quay known as the Boompjes. A bronze statue of 
Erasmus, who was a native of the city, stands on a wide bridge 
called the Groote Markt, or Great Market, a name which indi- 
cates its use. The largest and most modern residences are 
located on the outskirts, where there is also a modest driving- 
park. 

Four miles west of Rotterdam we pass through the smoky 
town of Schiedam, which is noted for its gin distilleries ; and 
farther on is Delft, where formerly the pottery which bears its 
name was largely produced. Six miles from Delft completes 
the journey to the Hague, the capital of Holland, and the gem 

26 



394 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of the kingdom. This city owes its origin to a hunting-seat 
which the counts of Holland erected about 1250, although it 
was not until the sixteenth century that it became the place of 
assembly of the States-General. Early in the present century 
it was adopted as the residence of the king and the foreign 
ministers, when it rapidly increased in importance. The Dutch 
nobility now generally reside here, but the business of the 
place is mainly confined to supplying the wants of the court. 
Many of the streets are crossed by canals, and several are 
bordered with rows of linden-trees. The aristocratic quarter 
is the vicinity of the Vijverberg, a square of slightly elevated 
ground, upon which the principal buildings are located. These 
include the Binnenhof, formerly the palace of the counts of 
Holland, which contains the chambers of the States-General 
and the government offices, and the Mauritz Haus, once the 
residence of Prince Maurice, of Nassau, which is now devoted to 
the National Museum. Close by is a relic called the Gevange- 
poort, a gate-tower, in which Barneveldt, the De Witt brothers, 
and others were imprisoned. Not far from the same neighbor- 
hood are the palaces of the king, the Prince of Orange, and 
members of the Dutch nobility, in some of which are valuable 
art collections. In the suburbs, situated in the midst of a 
wooded park, is the mansion known as the " House in the 
Woods," where, until her death, in the summer of 1877, the 
late queen, Sophia Matilda Wilhelmina, lived, separated from 
her royal husband and in comparative retirement. The vari- 
ous apartments are richly adorned with works of art, and the 
surroundings are as beautiful as could be desired, yet happi- 
ness was a stranger to the good queen. The king, William 
III., though now advanced in life, has lately married the 
Princess Emma, of Waldeck-Pyrmont, a lady only twenty-two 
years of age. 

Nothing at the Hague can rank in eminence with the 
National Museum, which comprises collections of Chinese and 



HOLLAND. 395 

Japanese curiosities, Dutch historical relics, aud paintings. 
The last are almost exclusively by the Dutch masters, and 
iuclude many of the most celebrated pictures of that school. 
The masterpiece of the assemblage is Paul Potter's " Young 
Bull," a work of exceptional greatness. Next in the order 
of renown is Rembrandt's " Lesson in Anatomy," a disseeting- 
class transferred to canvas with wonderful realism. Repre- 
sented in the catalogue also are Gerard Dow, an artist unsur- 
passed in chiaroscuro, and Philip Wouvermans, whose specialty 
was in depicting horses. One of the choicest of the private 
galleries is that of M. Steengracht. Nearly every piece is 
entitled to distinction, and in addition to those of earlier origin 
are others by Meissonier, Winterhalter, Gerome, Schotel, Du- 
bufYe, Louis Meyer, Vernet, and similar contemporary names. 
Among the number is the original of Meissonier's familiar 
" Card Players." 

Three miles from the Hague, on the coast of the North Sea, 
is the fashionable Dutch watering-place of Scheveningen. A 
road fringed with trees offers a pleasant drive between the two 
places, which affords an opportunity to see the curious costumes 
and jewelry of the peasantry. During the season this resort 
is patronized by royalty and nobility, and enjoyed by the 
people of the capital after the manner of a Brighton Beach. 
Scheveningen was the port from which Charles II. sailed for 
England when the Restoration called him from exile. 

Leaving the Hague for the north, the first place of impor- 
tance on the route is Leyden, said to be the oldest town of 
Holland, which is historically noted for its remarkable siege 
and deliverance in 1573-74. The University, which was then 
established by the grateful Prince of Orange, continues to be 
a prominent seat of learning, having more than five hundred 
students. Thence we pass through Haarlem, which was like- 
wise invested by the Spaniards in 1572, who committed hor- 
rible atrocities when it capitulated in the next year, after a 



396 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

heroic defence of seven months. Here in the lofty Gothic 
Church of St. Bavon is the famous Haarlem organ, which has 
five thousand pipes and sixty stops. On the market-place is 
a marble statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster, a native of the 
town, for whom his countrymen claim the invention of print- 
ing with movable types. The railway to Amsterdam from 
Haarlem follows a direct easterly course, nearly parallel with 
the high road and the Ley den Canal. The country is an 
unbroken, marshy level, marked with dikes, windmills, canals, 
and sluices. Soon after starting the line crosses the upper end 
of what was formerly the lake of Haarlem, an expanse of 
water which had steadily increased until it assumed an area of 
more than seventy square miles, the draining of which was 
completed in 1853 by means of immense engines, after four 
years of pumping. A causeway now extends along the top of 
the Cyclopean dike which was constructed to separate the lake 
of Haarlem from the Ij, an estuary of the Zuyder-Zee. 

Amsterdam, the "dam of the Amstel," is situated at the 
confluence of the Ij and the river Amstel, and consists of 
almost a hundred islands connected by nearly three hundred 
bridges. The city is consequently a network of canals, not 
unlike Venice, although there the channel occupies the entire 
width between the houses, while here a side- walk and a way 
for vehicles intervene on each side, and the watercourse itself 
is bordered with trees and lined with quays. The buildings 
are reared upon foundations of piles, and on several of the lead- 
ing streets — notably Prinsen, Keizer, and Heeren Grachten — 
they are tall and handsome. The enclosing walls, which are 
pierced by eight gates, describe a great semicircle, commencing 
at the two ends near the Ij. Carriages and wagons drawn by 
horses are employed only to a limited extent, as boats and 
hand-carts serve to transport merchandise and lighter burdens. 
Amsterdam is the metropolis of Holland and the scene of the 
coronation of the sovereigns. 



HOLLAND. 397 

The principal edifice in Amsterdam is the Koyal Palace, 
originally the Stadhuis, or city hall, which stands upon thir- 
teen thousand six hundred and fifty piles. It became the 
residence of King Louis Bonaparte, and has since been the 
abode of the Dutch monarchs during their visits. While the 
structure is large and imposing, its celebrity is centred in the 
Council Hall, a spacious apartment lined with Italian marble 
richly wrought, and adorned with paintings. The churches 
generally lack architectural grandeur and interior ornament. 
The Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church, — a strange title, consider- 
ing it was built in 1408, — is the largest in the city, and notice- 
able for its tombs, among which is that of the famous Admiral 
de Ruyter. The Oude Kerk, or Old Church, glories in an 
organ which almost rivals the one at Haarlem, and likewise 
contains several monuments of historical personages. These 
churches are dedicated to Protestant worship, which has pre- 
vailed in Holland since the Reformation. Amsterdam is con- 
spicuous for an unusual number of charitable institutions, 
which are largely sustained by voluntary subscriptions. Many 
of these establishments are possessed of handsome buildings, 
and their admirable management is reflected in the general 
order and sobriety noticeable on the streets. 

The devotion to art in Amsterdam is evinced in several 
notable private galleries, and prominently in the Museum. 
The latter contains an eminent collection of prints comprised in 
two hundred portfolios, as well as an array of valuable paint- 
ings. Probably the most celebrated of the pictures is Van 
der Heist's " Commemoration of the Peace of Westphalia" 
of 1648, an event which assured the independence of the 
Dutch nation. The study represents a banquet scene with 
twenty-five figures, all of which are portraits of members of 
the Civic Guard of Amsterdam. Then follow two of Rem- 
brandt's most renowned works, — the " Night Watch" and the 
" Five Masters of the Drapers' Company," — which display 



398 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

his command of technique and subtle methods of light and 
shade. The gem of the collection is Gerard Dow's " Evening 
School," wherein the artist has achieved exquisite perfection 
in the reflection of candle-light on a group of faces. This 
picture, which measures only fourteen by twenty inches, is en- 
closed in glass, and its guardian stated that ten thousand pounds 
($50,000) had been unsuccessfully offered for it by the British 
government. 

Amsterdam is regarded as the leading market in the world 
for diamonds, although London now claims to deal as heavily 
in the specialty of great stones. This business in the former 
city is almost exclusively controlled by the Jews in their par- 
ticular quarter, where travellers who desire to inspect the es- 
tablishments are courteously welcomed. Here the diamonds 
are received in the rough from the diggings to be cut and rated, 
a process which gives employment to numerous mills, the one 
we visited having no less than three hundred hands. The 
operations of breaking, cutting, and polishing were freely 
shown, and accompanied with much valuable information re- 
lating to the subject. Breaking or splitting is accomplished 
by scratching one diamond with another, and then striking the 
line a sudden blow with a chisel ; cutting or sawing, by a fine 
wire covered with pulverized diamond ; and polishing, by 
pressure against swiftly revolving metal plates, with the aid 
of diamond-dust. Skill, patience, and care are the indispens- 
able requisites of the lapidary. 

The weight of these precious stones is estimated by the carat, 
which is equivalent to four diamond grains, or rather more 
than three of Troy. According to the general though not 
invariable rule, the value, whether cut or in the rough, in- 
creases as the square of the weight. Thus a diamond of two 
carats, of a given " water/ 7 is rated at four times the worth of 
a similar specimen of one carat. The forms of cutting are 
known as the brilliant, the rose, and the table, which are classed 



HOLLAND. 399 

in expense in the order named. Stones in the rough having 
the figure of two pyramids joined at the base, are cut as bril- 
liants, while those of less depth are selected for the rose form, 
which is flat below the girdle, but has facets on the upper 
surface. The thinnest, as well as scraps and crystals, are 
finished in the table-cut. The average loss of weight neces- 
sary to attain a just or perfect proportion in the brilliant or 
rose form, is estimated to be about one-half. 

Diamonds were not unknown to the ancients, but their value 
was only imperfectly understood. The art of cutting them 
was first practised in Europe in the fifteenth century, although 
it originated in the East at a much earlier period. Previous 
to 1728 the supply of diamonds came entirely from India, but 
in that year they were discovered in Brazil, and a century later 
in the Ural Mountains of Siberia. The principal fields are 
now in South Africa, near the Orange and Vaal Rivers, al- 
though they continue to be found in limited numbers in Hin- 
dostan and Borneo. The celebrated diamonds of the world 
are all from the Golconda district of Hindostan. The rajah 
of Matan, a native state on the island of Borneo, is believed 
to possess the largest known diamond, the weight of which is 
stated to be three hundred and sixty-seven carats. The Koh- 
i-noor was formerly the next in order of size, but since it 
became the personal property of Queen Victoria, upon the 
surrender of the Punjaub, in 1849, it has been twice recut. 
The first of these operations reduced it to one hundred and 
eighty-six carats, while its present weight, as the result of the 
second, is one hundred and six and one-sixteenth. When in 
the rough state it weighed nearly eight hundred carats, and 
previous to the changes just mentioned, two hundred and 
seventy-nine. The Orloff diamond, owned by the Emperor 
of Russia, weighs one hundred and ninety-five carats, and once 
formed the eye of an idol in India. The stone belonging 
to the Emperor of Austria, and called the Grand Duke of 



400 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Tuscany, is rated at one hundred and thirty-nine and a half 
carats. The finest of all the great diamonds is the Regent of 
France, or the Pitt, which weighs one hundred and thirty-six 
and three-fourths carats. This gem was displayed at the Ex- 
position of 1878, and attracted more attention than any single 
object on the Champ de Mars. Then follows the Sanci 
diamond, the property of a Muscovite nobleman, which is 
credited with one hundred and six carats, although certain 
authorities give it only fifty-three and a half. The Polar Star, 
of eighty-six carats, and the Shah, of forty, are both among 
the imperial collection of Russia. The largest of the Cape, 
or South African, diamonds yet found is believed to be the 
Stewart, which is called a fraction more than two hundred 
and eighty-eight carats, and is of a light-yellow color. A 
stone in the possession of the Emperor of Brazil, which is 
designated as the Braganca, or King of Portugal, and weighs 
sixteen hundred and eighty carats, is probably a topaz and not 
a diamond. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

NORTHERN GERMANY. 

The German railways are not less tedious than those of 
many other countries when any departure from the main lines 
is necessary. Stoppages are numerous, the pace is dilatory, 
and frequent changes of trains entail perplexing uncertainty 
and restless vigilance. The journey from Amsterdam to the 
Hanseatic cities is largely of this character, and, in addition, 
the routes are all of a circuitous character. Friesland, or the 
north of Holland, offers little to remunerate the general trav- 
eller, and hence the course through Zwolle, Groningen, and 
Oldenberg, although the most appropriate as Outlying Europe, 
is the least desirable. The usual itinerary upon leaving Am- 
sterdam is to proceed through Utrecht, Arnhem, Wesel, and 
Dusseldorf to Cologne, crossing the frontier at Emmerich. 
Following this line as far as Arnhem, our route branches off 
to Zutphen and Rheine, and then continues through Osna- 
brtick to Bremen. 

Upon leaving Amsterdam the railway crosses a reclaimed 
tract, and then passes through the district devoted to the 
country-seats of the wealthy residents of that city. Farther 
on the surface becomes slightly rolling, and thence to Utrecht 
the landscape is a succession of grassy meadows, gardens, and 
orchards. Utrecht, which was founded in the period of the 
Romans, is historically noted for the treaty concluded there 
in 1713, which terminated the long and disastrous War of the 
Spanish Succession. Traversing a wooded territory and after- 

401 



402 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ward a portion of Gelderland, one of the most uneven prov- 
inces of Holland, we in due time reach Arnhem, an old town, 
of little interest beyond the beauty of its suburbs. Diverging 
from the main line, we proceed in a northeasterly direction to 
Zutphen, which has a picturesque location on the river Yssel, 
a branch of the Rhine. This town was one of the Hanseatic 
League, and here, in 1586, the celebrated Sir Philip Sidney, 
the author of " Arcadia" and nephew of the famous Earl of 
Leicester, was mortally wounded after achieving a complete 
victory over the Spaniards. Crossing a section marked by 
many canals and passing several minor stations, we enter the 
German Empire at Bentheim, where the usual custom-house 
formalities cause a delay. Continuing again, we find Rheine 
an unimportant place, but soon after we approach the spurs of 
the Teutoburgian Forest, when the scenery becomes attractive. 
Osnabriick, a town of thirty thousand people, next claims atten- 
tion. The Gothic Marienkirche, or Protestant Church of St. 
Mary, and the Roman Catholic cathedral, which glories in the 
possession of the ivory comb of Charlemagne, are its principal 
edifices; but the Rathhaus, or city hall, is of paramount interest 
as the scene of the extended labors of one branch of the con- 
gress which, upon uniting at Miinster in 1648, concluded the 
peace of Westphalia, and thereby closed the Thirty Years' 
War. The remainder of the journey to Bremen, a distance of 
seventy-five miles, embraces a country of monotonous physi- 
cal aspect, and deficient in places entitled to even the briefest 
mention. 

The city of Bremen is located on a plain on both banks of 
the river Weser, and has a population of about one hundred 
thousand. The town was founded by Charlemagne, late in 
the eighth century, and in the thirteenth its citizens joined the 
Hanseatic League. The Reformation was accepted in 1522, and 
the independence of the city generally maintained. Although 
now a part of the German Empire, it remains a free city. 



NORTHERN GERMANY. 403 

Within the last two or three decades the limits have been con- 
siderably extended with handsome streets and buildings, while 
the old walls and broad moat were converted into a beautiful 
shaded park and stream. These Promenades, or Wall-Anlagen, 
extend through the choicest section of the city, and are bordered 
with the residences of the wealthy. The old quarters still 
retain their quaint characteristics, including many specimens 
of rich mediaeval architecture. Bremerhaven, the port of the 
city, is situated at the mouth of the Weser, a distance of thirty- 
seven miles, where it was established on a tract of land secured 
from Hanover in 1827. The acquisition has been valuable 
in extending the shipping interests of Bremen, and thereby 
materially augmenting its importance. 

The objects in Bremen which most concern the traveller are 
clustered about the old Market-Place, where the hucksters 
still assemble on appointed days. The most conspicuous of 
the buildings on the square is the Rathhaus, or city hall, 
which was erected in 1405, in the Gothic style, but in the 
Renaissance period a highly-ornamental facade replaced the 
original front. The feature of the interior is the Great Hall, 
which is decorated with antique wood-carving, stained-glass 
windows, and a painted ceiling bearing medallion portraits of 
the German emperors from Charlemagne to Sigismund. Sus- 
pended in this hall are models of Hanseatic frigates and of 
the Washington, the first mail steamer from New York to 
Bremen, in 1847. The cellar of the Rathhaus, called the 
Rathskeller, is the municipal storehouse for Rhine and Mo- 
selle wines, and contains several casks of enormous size, some 
being not less than one or two hundred years old. The most 
interesting of all is the oldest, which dates from 1624, and is 
known as the " Rose." Its appellation is derived from a rose 
painted on the arched stone ceiling directly above. There, in 
olden times, the magnates of Bremen retired from the pub- 
licity of the hall above in case of disputes or for important 



404 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

deliberations; and all conclusions thus reached were under- 
stood to be sub rosa, or strictly secret, — a practical application 
of the ancient symbol of silence. 

In the square, near the Rathhaus, is a curious colossal stone 
figure representing an armored warrior, with a cloak, a drawn 
sword, and a shield. This statue, known as the Roland, was 
erected early in the fifteenth century, when it was regarded 
as the emblem of the free city, and greatly revered by the 
people. On the opposite side of the Market-Plaee is the 
new Exchange, and near it stands the Dom, or cathedral. 
The exterior of the church could hardly have been considered 
pleasing even when it was constructed, in the eleventh cen- 
tury, or altered in the thirteenth, and the front is now dis- 
figured by the want of a tower, which fell in 1638. The style 
of the interior is Romanesque, with fittings for Protestant 
worship. A basement, entered from the church, and called 
the Bleikeller, is a curiosity because of its remarkable property 
of preserving animal matter in an undecayed state. Human 
bodies deposited from one to four centuries back have simply 
dried like mummies, and fowls of various kinds hang from 
the ceiling in the same condition. The Bremen Kunsthalle 
contains a fair collection of modern paintings, prominent 
among which is Emanuel Leutze's celebrated " Washington 
Crossing the Delaware." Johann Georg Meyer, better known 
as Meyer von Bremen, is represented by only a single pic- 
ture, "The Penitent Daughter;" and that has been ruined by 
the cracking of the paint, although it was executed less than 
twenty-five years ago. 

The trip by rail from Bremen to Hamburg occupies two 
and a half hours, and is without special interest. The country 
is green and fertile, but as flat as the Netherlands. Just 
before entering Hamburg the Elbe is crossed by the new 
Elbe-Briicke, or bridge, a structure having opposite elliptical 
curves, — one above and the reverse of the other, — to which 



NORTHERN GERMANY. 405 

the cables supporting the roadway are attached, not unlike the 
one which spans the Rhine at Mayence. 

Hamburg is built on the Elbe, and so near the North Sea 
as to afford sufficient depth of water in the harbor for ships 
of every tonnage. The city is supposed to have been founded 
by Charlemagne, in the ninth century. Aided by the influ- 
ence of the counts of Holstein, Hamburg steadily increased 
in wealth, and upon the organization of the Hanseatic League 
it became a member of that confederation. The doctrines of 
Luther were embraced in 1529, but, unlike so many other 
cities advocating the new faith, Hamburg escaped the devasta- 
tion of the Thirty Years' War. In 1810 the conquests of 
Napoleon subjected the city to French authority; but after 
much suffering, inflicted by Davoust as punishment for an 
ineffectual uprising in 1813, the peace of Vienna restored the 
cherished liberty. Hamburg was the largest of the four inde- 
pendent Hanseatic cities, and now, with its immediate suburbs, 
the population is not less than half a million. Commercially, 
it remains a free city, that privilege having been retained when 
entering the new German Empire. Much of its prosperity and 
a large proportion of the commerce of the port depend upon 
its American relations. 

Exclusive of a limited section, Hamburg cannot be con- 
sidered an inviting city, a large portion having the Dutch 
aspect, with sombre streets and uncleanly canals. The en- 
virons, which include the country mansions and gardens, must, 
of course, be excepted in the above statement. That section 
which has a claim to attractiveness is the vicinity of Binnen- 
Alster, or Alster Bassin, and the streets bordering on that 
quadrilateral, where a general improvement followed the de- 
structive conflagration of May, 1842. The Basin of the 
Alster is a sheet of water formed in the course of that small 
river, and measures one mile in circumference. Bounding it 
on two sides are two of the choicest streets for residences, while 



406 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

a third, the Jungfernstieg, is the principal thoroughfare of the 
city. Along the last are most of the principal hotels and 
leading shops, as well as two favorite cafi&s located under the 
trees directly on the margin of the water, where the people 
gather for recreation. We chanced to be in the city during 
an election for members of the Reichstag, when the Socialist 
party unexpectedly polled so large a vote that the Jungfern- 
stieg was densely thronged in the evening to hear the returns. 

Hamburg is essentially a commercial city, like Liverpool, 
— a class which frequently, as in the present instance, offers 
little to detain the traveller. A walk along the harbor, in- 
cluding the river front at Elbhohe and the suburbs of St. 
Pauli and Altona, is highly interesting for a stranger. The 
flag of almost every maritime nation may be found among 
the shipping, and the people are likewise of various types. 
The Kunsthalle, or art gallery, is a new edifice, in the Italian 
Renaissance style, which, together with its collections of plaster 
casts, engravings, and paintings, forms a considerable acqui- 
sition for the city. The casts are mostly of the classical an- 
tiques, while the paintings are principally by modern German 
artists. Camphausen, Prof. Schuch, A. and O. Achenbach, 
Vautier, Defregger, Cornelius, Verboeckhoven, and Knaus 
are among the prominent artists named in the catalogue. The 
French school is represented by Paul Delaroche's " Oliver 
Cromwell at the Coffin of Charles I.," — a notable composition. 
The zoological and the botanical gardens are distinguished for 
their extensive collections, especially the former, which also 
includes an aquarium, a concert-hall, and a winter-garden. 

Except the Church of St. Nicholas, the religious architec- 
ture of Hamburg is not entitled to particular notice. The 
sanctuary named was commenced in 1842, and presents the 
unusual example of a modern edifice with the Gothic richness 
of the thirteenth century. The niches of both the interior 
and exterior are filled with statues of personages who have 



NORTHERN GERMANY. 407 

distiDguished themselves in the extension of Christianity. The 
length of the church is two hundred and eighty-five feet, and 
breadth of transept one hundred and fifty-one feet. The mag- 
nificent spire has an altitude of four hundred and seventy-three 
feet, making it the second in height in Europe. The new 
tower of St. Ouen, at Rouen, with its surmounting spire, is 
said to measure four hundred and ninety-two feet, while that of 
Strasburg reaches four hundred and sixty-six or four hundred 
and sixty-eight feet, and St. Stephen's, of Vienna, four hun- 
dred and fifty-three feet. St. Peter's, of Rome, is four hundred 
and thirty-five feet ; St. Paul's, of London, four hundred and 
four feet ; and for the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Mariette Bey 
announces four hundred and seventy-nine feet as the original 
height, and four hundred and fifty -three feet in its present 
state. It will be well to add that scarcely two authorities 
agree on any of the above measurements. 

The journey by rail from Hamburg through the province 
of Holstein to Lubeck is accomplished in an hour and three- 
quarters. The route presents nothing to demand mention, 
although it is not without the elements of moderate beauty. 
Lubeck, which existed as early as the middle of the eleventh 
century, was rebuilt in 1143, and so rapidly did the town 
increase that it was declared a free city of the Empire in 
1226. Its advancing prosperity suggested the formation of 
the Hanseatic League, and the Diets of that alliance were held 
in its Rathhaus. Late in the fourteenth century the city at- 
tained its greatest importance, when it had a population of 
nearly one hundred thousand. Thenceforward its influence 
gradually waned, although the prestige as a free city was re- 
tained. Situated on the river Trave, a limited amount of 
commerce is still enjoyed, but the town is now interesting only 
for relics of the past. 

The objects sought by travellers are the fine examples of 
mediaeval brick architecture, in which Lubeck took such pre- 



408 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

cedence that her buildings were imitated throughout Northern 
Germany. The almost exclusive use of bricks implied the 
plainest forms of decoration, resulting, in many cases of 
church edifices especially, in exteriors deficient of beauty. 
The beautiful pointed Gothic Marienkirche, or Church of St. 
Mary, the leading sanctuary, is the most conspicuous illustra- 
tion of the prevailing style. It measures three hundred and 
thirty-five feet in length, with a nave one hundred and twenty- 
seven feet wide, and two spires four hundred and seven feet 
high. The last are of wood, with a metal covering painted 
dark red. The interior is massive and colored in white. 
Decorations of the usual order are abundantly distributed, 
including a curious picture, called the "Dance of Death," 
which is doubtfully attributed to Holbein. The study rep- 
resents a number of men alternately hand in hand with as 
many dancing skeletons robed in cloaks. In the rear of the 
high altar is a large clock very similar to the one at Strasburg. 
At noon a procession of an emperor followed by several elec- 
tors appears and moves around a sitting figure of Christ, each 
one bowing as it passes. Additional mechanical figures exe- 
cute certain movements, and below the face of the clock is a 
large dial which marks eclipses occurring within the next cen- 
tury, and furnishes other astronomical information. 

The Rathhaus is another elegant specimen of brick archi- 
tecture, and within its walls the Diets of the Hanseatic League 
assembled when Lubeck was the leading city of the confedera- 
tion. This alliance was a union of the commercial cities of 
Northern Germany and adjacent parts of Europe, established 
to secure peace and mutually protect their prosperity and privi- 
leges from piracy and the cupidity of aggressive monarchs. 
The League was first instituted in the thirteenth century, but 
was of brief duration. In the following century the con- 
quests of Denmark in the Baltic again cemented the union, 
and this time upon a more stable basis. Successful wars were 



NORTHERN GERMANY. 4Q9 

waged against the Scandinavian kings, and at the close of the 
fourteenth centurv the League numbered eighty-five cities. The 
rise of Russia and the Northern Empire, late in the fifteenth 
century, hastened the decline of the alliance, and though war- 
like efforts were made to restore its power, all were unavailing. 
Much of its trade was diverted by the discovery of America 
and a new route to India ; and as the various states began to 
afford better protection to commerce, there was no longer the 
same necessity for its existence. The Thirty Years' War 
virtually disrupted the remaining power of the League, a 
large proportion of the cities formally withdrawing at the 
Diet of 1630. Hamburg, Bremen, and Liibeck alone pre- 
served the ancient union, which remained intact until Napo- 
leon absorbed them in the French Empire. The compact 
was renewed in 1813, with the addition of F ran kfort-on-t he- 
Main, and continued until 1866, when the former three joined 
the North German Confederation. The name is derived from 
the Teutonic word hansa, which signifies an association. 



■27 



CHAPTEE XXIV. 

DENMARK. 

Three prominent routes to Copenhagen are open to the 
traveller upon leaving Lubeck ; one almost entirely by rail, 
while the remaining two involve a sea voyage of several hours. 
The course of the first extends directly through the Prussian 
provinces of Holstein and Schleswig, entering Denmark at 
Wamdrup, in Jutland. Continuing to Fredericia, it crosses 
the Little Belt by a ferry to Striib, whence the railway trav- 
erses the island of Fiinen, through Odense, the birthplace of 
Hans Christian Andersen, to Nyborg, where the Danes de- 
feated the Swedes in 1659, and thereby assured their freedom. 
Here the steamer is taken for the passage of the Great Belt to 
Korsor, a trip of rather more than an hour's duration. Kor- 
sor is located on the island of Zealand, and connected with 
Copenhagen by a railroad which passes through Ringsted and 
Roeskilde, completing the journey in about fifteen hours. The 
disadvantage of this itinerary is the frequent change of con- 
veyance which it entails, while the country is generally flat 
and sparsely marked with attractive towns. The second route 
proceeds by rail from Lubeck to Kiel, the provincial capital 
of united Schleswig-Holstein, and the German naval depot 
of the Baltic, whence a steamer leaves every evening for 
Korsor, passing between the Danish islands of Langeland and 
Laaland. The portion from Korsor to Copenhagen is a repe- 
tition of that detailed above, the entire trip consuming about 
thirteen hours. The third course is a direct voyage by the 
410 



DENMARK. 41 1 

comfortable Swedish steamers, which is also accomplished in 
about thirteen hours. Starting from Liibeck in the after- 
noon and descending the river Trave, we reach the Baltic 
Sea in two hours. Thence passing the Danish islands of Fal- 
ster and Moen, we sight the coast of Zealand early the next 
morning. Following a northerly course, the steamer enters 
the channel between the islands of Amager and Saltholm ; 
then approaches close to Forts Lynetten and Trekroner; 
and finally, after rounding the Citadel of Frederikshavn, 
lands the passenger in season for an early breakfast at Copen- 
hagen. 

The first impression a traveller receives of Copenhagen is 
one of disappointment, and further acquaintance with the city 
assist- to confirm that view. Its situation, as seen from the 
Round Tower or other elevation, is picturesque ; but the in- 
terior, even in the choicest and most active quarters, has a dull, 
weather-worn aspect. The population, including the imme- 
diate suburbs, is rather more than two hundred thousand, and 
a few of the streets — notably the Oster Gade — display consid- 
erable activity in retail business. The leading centre is the 
Kongens Nytorv, or King's New Market, a square upon which 
the imposing new National Theatre, the principal hotels, and 
the Charlottenborg Palace are located, and from which thirteen 
of the chief streets diverge. The present king and queen, 
Christian IX. and Louise of Hesse-Cassel, parents of King 
George of Greece, Princess Alexandra of Wales, and the 
Cesarevna Dagmar of Russia, reside in the sombre, homely 
palace known as the Amalienborg, which is located in the 
aristocratic section of the city. Enclosing the octagonal Fred- 
eriks Plads, or place, the palace consists of four separate, equi- 
distant stone edifices, each of two floors and a peaked roof. 
A colonnade embellishes the centre of the facades from the 
second floor to the roof, but otherwise decoration is wanting. 
The monarch and his queen occupy one of the four; the dowa- 



412 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

ger queen, a second ; the crown prince, a third, and one of the 
ministers, the remaining palace. 

The large Christiansborg Palace, which is located on an island 
in a busy quarter of the city, has more interest for the tourist. 
Its foundation dates from the twelfth century, but restorations 
which followed repeated fires have rendered it almost a modern 
structure. The facade is adorned with several carved reliefs 
and allegorical bronze figures, by Thorvaldsen, while the in- 
terior contains the Royal Picture Gallery and the halls of the 
Landsthing and Folkething, the two houses of the Danish 
Rigsdag, or legislative assembly. The suburban palaces of 
Charlottenlund and Bernstorff are built at the opposite ends 
of an avenue nearly two miles in length, and each is sur- 
rounded by a wooded park. The extensive Frederiksberg 
Palace, which is also in the suburbs, has been utilized as a 
national military academy. 

The two remaining palaces of note — the Rosenborg and 
the Prinsdsens — are now devoted to museum purposes. The 
former has a valuable display of weapons, jewels, royal gifts, 
and furniture, all of which are arranged as a " Chronological 
Collection of the Danish Kings/' each room comprising the 
articles appertaining to the reign it represents. The Prinsdens 
Palais, which was formerly a residence of the Danish crown 
princes, contains the celebrated Museum of Northern An- 
tiquities. This collection is the most extensive and chrono- 
logically complete in Europe, numbering as it does nearly fifty 
thousand objects, mostly of Scandinavian origin. Antiquities, 
such as weapons, domestic utensils, inscriptions, and funereal 
articles, require too much space to admit of any detail, thereby 
limiting a notice of this renowned museum to a mere state- 
ment of the grand divisions. According to the theory of 
Director Thomsen, who organized the collection, the progress 
of civilization is marked by a succession of three stages, which 
are represented respectively by the use of stone, bronze, and 



DENMARK. 413 

iron. We therefore find the catalogue divided into three 
leading departments. First, the Flint Period, embracing all 
specimens which date previous to B.C. 1500. Second, the 
Bronze Period, extending down to a.d. 250. Third, the Iron 
Period, including what are designated as the Early (to 450), 
the Middle (to 700), and the Late (to 1030) Iron Ages. 
Supplementing these are two additional divisions; first, the 
Christian Mediaeval Period, which is subdivided into the 
Early Middle Ages (to 1300), and the Late Middle Ages (to 
1536); second, the Modern or Renaissance Period, which 
brings the collection down to about 1660. The same palace 
also contains the " Ethnographic Museum," and the royal col- 
lections of " Classical and Oriental Antiquities," " Coins and 
Medals," and " Engravings." 

Conspicuous among the attractions of the Danish capital, 
and that which is the source of the greatest local pride, is the 
Thorvaldsen Museum. Bertel Thorvaldsen, the son of a ship- 
carpenter of Iceland, was born at Copenhagen, in 1770. An 
early development of his genius prompted him to locate at 
Rome, where, as a pupil of the famous Canova, he developed 
into a sculptor but second in ability to his illustrious master. 
The earliest of his greater works is the "Jason with the 
Golden Fleece," and from the time of its execution his suc- 
cess was assured. He remained in Rome eighteen years, 
during which period he produced nearly three hundred pieces 
of every size. When his return was arranged, the gov- 
ernment of Denmark despatched a vessel to convey him and 
his works, the arrival forming the occasion of a great ova- 
tion, in which royalty and the people alike participated. The 
museum edifice, which was built between 1839 and 1848, is 
after the gloomy style of the Etruscan and Greek mausoleums, 
the intention being that it should constitute a monument to 
enclose the tomb of the artist, as well as a repository for his 
sculptural creations. Thorvaldsen himself directed the con- 



414 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

struction of the vault in the centre of the court, in which his 
remains were placed when the museum was completed, nearly 
four years after his death, they having, in the interval, rested 
in the Frue Kirke. The spot where he lies is marked by a 
bed of ivy, within a granite coping, the latter bearing the 

simple inscription : 

" Bertel Thorvalclsen, 

] 9th November, 1770, 

24th March, 1844." 

The collection in the museum comprises a complete array 
of the sculptor's works, either in plaster or marble, together 
with the antiquities, gems, and objects of art which he acquired 
at Rome. A room is also devoted to his books and furniture. 
In the vestibule and corridor are arranged the casts of his 
colossal productions, such as the monuments of " Pope Pius 
VII.," in St. Peter's, at Rome; " Gutenberg," at Mayence; 
and "Copernicus," at Warsaw. Here also is the model of 
the famous " Lion of Lucerne," an alto-rilievo there carved 
on the face of a rock, and representing a lion dying from the 
wound of a broken spear which remains in his side, yet 
guarding with his embrace the royal shield' of France. It 
commemorates the fidelity of the Swiss Guards who fell in 
Paris while upholding Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette in 
the Revolution of 1792. An unusual number of Thorvald- 
sen's subject compositions have secured extended and perma- 
nent celebrity, prominent among which are the four reliefs of 
the ages and seasons, — " Childhood and Spring/ 7 " Youth and 
Summer," "Manhood and Autumn," and "Old Age and 
Winter." Equally familiar are his beautiful "Aurora with 
the Genius of Light," and " Night with her Children , Sleep 
and Death," as well as his various conceptions of " Amor," 
both in reliefs and figures, the subject having been one of the 
artist's favorites. Scarcely a connoisseur is unacquainted with 
the "Three Graces," "Venus with the Apple," and "Ganymede 



DENMARK. 415 

with the Eagle of Jupiter," and thousands more look upon 
the master's models as household figures, though unconscious 
of their titles or of the past existence of the gifted Dane. 
Such is genius in art that its works outreach and even outlive 
its possessor's name. 

Fortunately, exclaims the surfeited traveller, the churches of 
Copenhagen demand little attention. Only one is entitled to 
particular notice, and that because of the presence of a group of 
Thorvaldsen's masterpieces. The sanctuary in question is the 
Protestant Frue Kirke, or Church of Our Lady, the seat of the 
primate of the Danish kingdom. The Lutheran faith is the 
established religion of Denmark, which is also true of the 
united kingdom of Sweden and Norway. The Frue Kirke 
is built in a style termed the Greek Renaissance, and was 
commenced in 1807 to replace the structure demolished in that 
year by the bombardment of the English fleet. The exterior 
possesses no claim to beauty, except the extended pedimental 
group, by the favorite sculptor, of St. John preaching in the wil- 
derness. The distinguishing features of the interior are a bastard 
Doric balcony colonnade over an arcade on each side of the 
length, and an imposing vaulted ceiling divided into squares, 
which are decorated in blue relieved by white. The entabla- 
ture and columns are also highly colored in questionable taste, 
while the altar and furniture are notably simple. Between 
the arches are Thorvaldsen's "Twelve Apostles," in heroic 
size, six on each side. The altar-piece is his " Risen Christ," 
a creation conveying the impression of purity and holiness to 
a decree never excelled in marble. Before the altar is the 
exquisite "Angel of Baptism," by the same hand; a kneeling 
figure of an angel holding a shell, which constitutes the bap- 
tismal font. A frieze in the chancel represents Christ bearing 
the cross, while elsewhere in the church are other sculptures 
in basso-rilievo, all by Denmark's venerated son. 

An outline of Copenhagen would be incomplete without a 



416 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

mention of the unrivalled " Tivoli," the most remarkable 
pleasure gardens in Europe. This institution of recreation, 
for such the people regard it, cannot be classed as a Mabille 
of Paris or a Cremorne of London ; neither may it be con- 
sidered a Berlin Thiergarten, nor yet a St. Petersburg Livadia 
Garden, as it must be awarded a distinct identity. Wood- 
ward's Gardens, of San Francisco, somewhat resemble the 
Tivoli in character, but in extent and variety of amusements 
the latter is without a peer. In addition to a lake for boating, 
a large area is laid out in a labyrinth with high hedges, and 
so illuminated with circles of gas, arranged in perplexing 
lines, that it requires time and patience to discover the exit 
after once entering the maze. Then a large grass-plot will be 
seen, brilliant with gas; next a kaleidoscopic ball of fire at 
the end of a long path ; again a forest, hung with Chinese 
lanterns; now a Moorish building, with bowling and shoot- 
ing; here a Scandinavian log cabin, with a group of female 
singers; there a full orchestra, in an enclosed winter-garden; 
farther on, a military band in a pavilion ; and opposite, an 
open-air theatre, where the song, the ballet, and the panto- 
mime assemble the people. At the conclusion of the per- 
formance at the last named, a great peacock rises from the 
front of the stage and spreads its tail in an immense semi- 
circle, thereby forming an effective and original curtain. The 
charge for admission to the Tivoli is only from thirty to fifty 
ores (nine to fourteen cents), and every night of the season 
the attendance includes thousands of all classes. 

The general traveller seldom undertakes the tour of Jutland 
on account of the paucity of its attractions, although the rail- 
way now reaches the leading places. As we start northward 
from Kolding, near the frontier of Schleswig-Holstein, the first 
town of any degree of interest is Horsens, which is esteemed 
as one of the gems of the country because of the beauty of its 
surroundings. The next to be noticed is Aarhuus, which com- 



DENMARK. 41 7 

prises a population of about fifteen thousand, and maintains 
direct communication Avith Copenhagen by a regular line of 
steamers. Its Gothic cathedral is one of the largest in the 
kingdom, and contains the tombs of several personages known 
to Danish history. Farther north, on a road diverging to the 
west, is Viborg, one of the oldest towns of Denmark, and 
once the capital of Jutland. Aalborg, on the main line, the 
modern capital of the province, is a quaint town, depending 
chiefly on the herring fishery of the Liim Fjord and its neigh- 
boring waters. The railway extends as far as Frederikshavn, 
a growing town devoted to the oyster-trade ; but an ordinary 
road continues to Skagen, a village located on the singular 
tongue of land which constitutes the northern extremity of 
Jutland and terminates with the Skaw, or Cape Skagen. A 
stone light-house standing on the cape is of the greatest impor- 
tance in the navigation of the boisterous Skager Rack and 
Cattegat, which here unite around a reef of quicksands. The 
landscape is a wild and dreary expanse of drifting sand, with 
which frequent gales constantly threaten to overwhelm the vil- 
lage. The old Gothic church was buried during a storm in 
1775, but its square tower is still exposed, and forms a land- 
mark for mariners. The western coast presents little to induce 
a visit, as the towns are mere remnants of the cities which 
flourished during the middle ages. The physical aspect of the 
province may be comprehended from the brief but graphic de- 
scription of Hans Christian Andersen. " Towards the east," 
he says, " extend immense woods and hills ; towards the north, 
sea, mountains, and quicksands, scenery of a grand and solitary 
character ; and, between the two, infinite expanses of brown 
heath, with their wandering gypsies, their wailing birds, and 
their deep solitude/' 

"When the resources of Copenhagen and its vicinity have 
been exhausted, the excursions usually selected by travellers 
are to Roeskilde and Helsingor, both of which are on the 



418 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

island of Zealand. Roeskilde was the capital of Denmark in 
the time of Canute the Great (1014-35), a dignity it retained 
until the fourth decade of the fifteenth century, when King 
Christopher III. acknowledged the increasing prosperity of 
Copenhagen by adopting that city as the royal residence. The 
Reformation likewise dealt severe blows to Roeskilde, and 
although it continues the seat of the Catholic primate, little 
remains other than its simple Gothic cathedral to attract the 
stranger. This structure is of brick, and has been extended 
and restored at different periods. The interior is interesting 
as the place of sepulchre of an extended line of Danish mon- 
arches, as well as of the famous historian, Saxo Grammaticus. 
Among the tombs are those of King Harold II. (a.d. 985), 
Queen Margaret (1412), Christopher IV., and Frederick VII., 
who preceded the present king, Christian IX. It was during 
the reign of Queen Margaret, the Semiramis of the North, 
that the " Act of Union of Kalrnar" was signed, by which she 
became the sovereign of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, a 
compact which discordant nationalities rendered it impossible 
to maintain. In truth, the Swedes and Danes of the present 
love each other no better than their ancestors did in the fif- 
teenth century. The Waldemarian dynasty of Danish kings, 
who reigned between 1157 and 1375, are interred in the Church 
of Our Lady, at Ringsted, which is almost in the centre of 
Zealand. 

The excursion to Helsingor can be accomplished by rail, but 
the steamer which ascends the Sound and skirts the coast is the 
more pleasant conveyance. Helsingor, or Elsinore in English, 
is a commercial town of less than ten thousand inhabitants, 
and of great antiquity. Between Helsingor and Helsingborg, 
in Sweden, the Sound is so narrow that for three centuries the 
Danish government asserted the right to exact tolls from pass- 
ing vessels. In order to enforce the demand, in the sixteenth 
century a castle was erected at each side, both shores at that 



DENMARK. 419 

time being subject to Denmark. These tolls were levied until 
1857, when, by a treaty with the interested powers, a sum 
equal to about seventeen million five hundred thousand dollars 
was accepted to declare the passage forever free. 

The castle at Helsingor, which is known as the Kronborg, 
still exists in a fair state of preservation. Fronting on the 
sound is the Flag Battery, which displays the Dannebrog, or 
national standard of Denmark, — the scarlet ground with the 
white cross, which is declared to have dropped from heaven 
during a critical battle, and so inspired the Christian Danes 
that they routed the unbelieving enemy. The Flag Battery 
is the " platform before the castle," where Shakspeare locates 
the scene of the interview between Hamlet and the ghost 
of his father. Nearly three-quarters of a mile northwest of 
the castle is a sea-shore resort called Marienlyst, the name of 
a modern palace which has been converted into a kurhaus, or 
casino. The terraced garden in the rear of this house contains 
a portion of an uninscribed column, surrounded by a circle of 
trees, which is reputed to indicate Hamlet's grave. Fiction 
has likewise established this garden as the place where his 
father was murdered, a distinction it owes entirely to Shak- 
speare's genius, which is equally true of all kindred associations 
of this locality. 

According to Saxo Grammaticus, the earliest Danish his- 
torian, Hamlet was the son of a chieftain, or governor, of Jut- 
land by the daughter of a Danish king, and lived about four 
centuries before Christ. Other authorities place the date as 
late as the year of grace 700. The incidents comprising Ham- 
let's life may have originated from fact, but in that portion of 
Saxo's annals it is impossible to distinguish reality from fable. 
This " Historia Regnum Heroumque Danorum" was written 
in Latin, as its title indicates, in the latter half of the twelfth 
century, and consists of sixteen books, embracing the history 
of Denmark from the earliest traditions to the year 1186. 



420 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Although the obscurity of the remote ages has stamped its 
usual mythological impress upon the first books of this im- 
portant work, the last eight, and especially those which treat 
of his own era, are regarded as the standard for mediaeval 
Scandinavia. In the sixteenth century, about the time of 
Shakspeare's birth, Saxo's chronicle of Hamlet was rendered 
in French by Francois de Belleforest, although with consider- 
able alterations from the original. This production soon after 
appeared in English as the " Historye of Hamblet," in which 
form it probably served the poet in forming the plot of his 
immortal tragedy. The story of the drama, therefore, differs 
materially from the life of Hamlet as given by the Dane. In 
the former the hero dies a prince, while in the latter he be- 
comes a governor, — some writers say a king. Instead of the 
period of paganism, we find in the play several references to 
Christianity ; and, lastly, the scene is transferred from Jutland 
to Zealand, much to the convenience of travellers interested 
in Shakspearian sites. 



CHAPTER XXY. 



NORWAY. 



When we drove to the quay at Copenhagen to embark for 
the Norwegian capital it was an agreeable surprise to board as 
handsome a steamer as the most fastidious traveller might de- 
sire. The Danish standard floated at the stern, thus adding 
one more flag to the list under which we had sailed. The 
morning was as pleasant as could be wished when the Chris- 
tiania left her berth and headed up the Ore Sund, or Ear 
Sound, which is so named from its resemblance in shape to 
the human ear. Helsingor, with its Kronborg Castle, was 
passed in two hours, and soon after we entered the restless 
Cattegat. There, as usual, the sea was rough, and many of 
the passengers yielded to the inevitable mal de mer ; but after 
a few hours it became calmer, to the delight of our temporary 
invalids. Late in the afternoon we steamed among the groups 
of islands which mark that portion of the western coast of 
Sweden, and afford many views of rare beauty. Between 
eight and nine in the evening we reached the mouth of the 
Gotha River, and half an hour later a halt was made at Goth- 
enburg, the second city of Sweden. While the steamer was 
discharging cargo we contented ourselves with a partial view 
of the city from the deck, and the variety of life on the quay, 
as our itinerary provided for a visit to Gothenburg upon 
leaving Norway. 

Within thirty minutes the voyage was resumed, and although 
it was early August we experienced no difficulty in reading by 

421 



422 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

daylight until nearly ten o'clock. Three-quarters of an hour 
later it was still twilight in the west, and even at midnight 
the darkness could scarcely be pronounced fairly night. Here 
we were reminded to observe the elevation of the North Star, 
which proved to be so near the zenith as to be indeed a nov- 
elty. The Christiania was abreast the Skager Back, and 
painting the twilight sky with sluggish lines of cloudy smoke, 
when we turned in for a conflict with the satanic fleas which 
infest the northern latitudes in summer. Before the morning 
was far advanced we passed into the Christiania Fjord, where 
the charming wooded heights of Norway greet the traveller as 
an earnest of the famed scenery which will reward him for 
the long journey to the North. Gradually the fjord narrowed, 
and after calling at Horten, the Norwegian naval station, and 
Drobak, an active winter port, we sighted Christiania at ten 
o'clock. Another half-hour terminated the voyage, and upon 
driving to the hotel we became convinced that the sun may 
be as oppressive in Norway during the summer as elsewhere 
farther south. 

Christiania must be admired for its pretty situation and 
regular streets, even though it offers little to satisfy a demand 
for sights. The present city was commenced in 1624 by King 
Christian IV., after whom it was named, upon a site close to 
the old town of Oslo, which had just been destroyed by fire. 
The present population, it is claimed, exceeds eighty thousand, 
making it the metropolis of Norway, in addition to its dignity 
as the capital. The Storthing edifice, St. Saviour's Church, 
the University, the Royal Palace, and the old fortress of 
Akershus are the most prominent structures of the city, and 
the Carl Johans Gade is the finest street, but a description of 
them would develop nothing of general interest. On a height 
opposite the city, and beautifully located on the fjord, is a 
royal castle of Gothic design, called Oscar's Tower. There, 
on the day of our arrival, Consul-General Gade — late Norwe- 



NOB WAY. 423 

gian Commissioner to the Centennial Exhibition — accompanied 
us to witness the fete which King Oscar II. was enjoying with 
his naval cadets. Three or four war vessels were anchored 
off the castle, and the shipping in the harbor was gay with 
bunting. 

The kingdom of Norway, although united to Sweden under 
the " King of Sweden and Norway, the Goths and Vandals/' 
preserves a limited independence. Prior to 1814 the country 
was subject to Denmark for more than four centuries ; but in 
that year it was ceded to Sweden by the Treaty of Kiel, with 
the approval of the allied powers, as the reward of Marshal 
Bernadotte's effective aid in the struggle to overthrow his 
former leader, Napoleon I. Bernadotte had assisted Bonaparte 
in the victorious war against Sweden during the reign of Gus- 
tavus IV. (1792-1809); and Charles XIII., the successor to 
the dethroned Gustavus, having no issue, the French marshal 
was elected crown prince in 1810. While in that capacity 
he consented to lead the Swedish forces in the alliance against 
Napoleon, upon condition that Norway should be guaranteed 
to Sweden in the event of a successful issue to the war. Nor- 
way at first offered resistance, but afterward ratified the com- 
pact in 1814 by formally electing Charles XIII. as king, upon 
whose death, in 1818, Bernadotte succeeded to the throne under 
the title of Charles XIV. The marshal king lived until 1844, 
and during his long reign did much to restore prosperity to 
the kingdom which had been exhausted by the foreign wars of 
Gustavus IV. His son, Oscar L, proved a worthy successor, 
and he in turn was followed in 1859 by his dissipated son 
Charles XV. Upon the latter's death, in 1872, the succession 
devolved upon his brother, Oscar II., the present monarch. 
The crown prince and future king is Oscar Gustavus Adol- 
phus, Duke of Wermland, now nearly twenty-two years of 
age. 

The Storthing edifice is virtually the capitol, as there the 



424 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

legislative assembly of the country holds its sessions. The 
Norwegian Storthing consists of an upper and a lower house, — 
the Lagthing and the Odelsthing. Members of the Storthing 
are chosen every three years through electors returned by the 
people, and, upon assembling, one-fourth of the entire number 
is selected by ballot to constitute the Lagthing, and the re- 
maining three-fourths form the Odelsthing. Norway also has 
its own Privy Council and a representation in the king's cabi- 
net. The monarch must profess the Lutheran faith, and reside 
within the country at least three weeks of each year. A sepa- 
rate flag and a distinct army and navy must also be cited as 
evidences of Norway's partial autonomy. 

Christiania has the usual array of museums, including one 
of " Northern Antiquities/' which is of secondary interest to 
that at Copenhagen. The National Gallery comprises a mod- 
erate collection of paintings, which suffer from inauspicious 
surroundings. The building is creditable, but the approach 
is uninviting, the interior gloomy, and the custodians very 
untidy. The leading artists represented by landscape subjects 
are Dahl, Fearnley, Wexelsen, Eckersberg, Cappelen, Muller, 
Askevold, Baade, and Hans Gude. The greatest of the Nor- 
wegian painters, Adolph Tiedemand, is distinguished for his 
studies of interiors, with domestic groups, or other character- 
istic gatherings of the people. His principal picture here, 
the " Last Sacrament," portrays the death-bed scene of an aged 
peasant. The compositions of the Swedish artist Nordenberg 
are similar to those of Tiedemand. A Swedish lady painter, 
Amalia Lindegren, is celebrated throughout the peninsula for 
her figures of children, as well as for those of women. Her 
masterpiece, which is at Gothenburg, and entitled " Mother's 
Little Helper," is a gem of unusual merit. 

The statement that Christiania is situated in a valley amid 
wooded hills, charming fjords, and picturesque islands, will 
enable the reader to estimate the beauty of its environs. While 



NORWAY. 425 

several of these suburban glories are deserving of notice, we 
will include only a few of the most prominent. The nearest 
is Oscar's Hall, at Ladegaardso, which has already been men- 
tioned, and next the beautiful isle of Hovedoen, with its ruins 
of the Cistercian Monastery of the Blessed Virgin and St. Ed- 
mund. Then comes the splendid domain of Frogner, and the 
fjeld, or mountain, of that name. Farther away is the lovely 
valley of Maridalen and the mountain lake of Maridal. About 
the same distance, and surrounded by inviting landscapes, are 
the Baths of Grefsen, a favorite resort for the people of Chris- 
tiania. Sarabraaten, the estate of banker Heftye, is also a 
spot of surpassing beauty ; Sandviken is yet another ; and so 
the enumeration might be continued. Architecture and art 
have done little for Norway, but Nature has been lavish of her 
choicest treasures. Throned amid her creations and panoplied 
in a boreal clime, she has been but slowly pressed upon by the 
impious hand of invading man. 

The remuneration of a visit to the interior of Norway rests 
with the enjoyment of the magnificent mountain scenery, al- 
though trout and salmon-fishing, shooting, and the novelty of 
the established mode of conveyance, are among the attending 
pleasures. On the other hand, the notorious plague of the 
fleas is a serious drawback for those susceptible to their pain- 
ful stings. Again, the rains are frequent and heavy, necessi- 
tating the provision of rubber suits when journeying in the 
exposing cariole. Change of temperature is also a subject re- 
quiring the most careful attention. At sundown the transition 
is marked and penetrating, while during the day places in for- 
ests, on mountains, or beside lakes, will be found so cool as to 
require a wrap, which must soon be removed under the burn- 
ing sun on the open road. After leaving the coast the accom- 
modations, with a few exceptions, are mere log cabins or small 
frame buildings, which never afford luxury, and sometimes 
but scanty comfort. Frequently only dried meats and un- 

28 



426 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

savory fish are offered for a meal, and in remote sections trav- 
ellers must depend upon their own supplies. Even within fifty 
miles of the capital white bread is rare, and the butter too 
powerful for consumption. Coffee can usually be had, but 
the popular beverage is beer, in the quality of which the brew- 
eries of Norway excel. The peasants are generally honest, 
polite, and hospitable ; and if the stranger will adapt his 
wants to the extent of their resources, he will have little reason 
to complain of his treatment. 

After viewing the subject from every standpoint, it will be 
readily admitted that a tour through Norway affords sufficient 
inducements to outweigh its inconveniences. Seated in the little 
cariole, all thought of tedium is banished by the stimulus of 
the mountain air and the varying grandeur of the landscape. 
The cariole somewhat resembles an antiquated spring-sulky, 
with a narrow, shell-shaped body, and a perch behind on 
which a bag of feed or the light luggage is placed, and where 
the post-boy sits. No traces are used, the vehicle being drawn 
by an attachment to the fore part of the shafts. Many are 
even without springs, and the best cannot claim to be easy 
riding. The wheels are about the weight of those on an 
American coup6, and the rest of the vehicle preserves the same 
proportion. The harness, which is of the simplest character, 
is innocent of a gag-line, and the reins are generally of rope. 
As the horse must be held firmly when descending hills, the 
hands of the tourist suffer from such ribbons in a long day's 
drive. The utmost care is taken to feed and rest the horse at 
short intervals, and to such an extent is the practice carried 
that the animal will be lazy if the driver is willing. As a 
rule the owner of the horse will state the time of transit from 
one point to another to be about a quarter more than is really 
required. Thus, for instance, when we were told a certain 
stage would occupy four hours, experience proved that it could 
be accomplished in three without unreasonable speed. The 






NORWAY. 427 

horses display no disposition to travel fast, and they come to a 
full halt on the slightest pretext which could be construed as 
a command to stop. The country is divided into posting-sta- 
tions, and, where no regular livery exists, the law compels the 
farmers to supply horses upon application through the post- 
master. In such cases a notice called a forbud is sent in ad- 
vance, by mail or otherwise, in order to avoid delays. This 
expedient is now seldom necessary on the usual routes, as the 
volume of travel has become sufficient to establish stables. A 
tariff for posting is fixed by statute and at every station a dag- 
bog, or day-book, is kept, in which the traveller registers his 
name and any complaint he wishes to communicate to the au- 
thorities. Distances are reckoned by the Norsk mile, which 
is equal to about seven English miles. 

A person unacquainted with the country is at a loss for a 
choice route, and as the native guide-books are useless to assist 
a decision, on account of their confusion, it becomes necessary 
to have the aid of the experienced. For a comprehensive 
tour of Norway the course should be first by rail across to 
Trondhjem, — a two-days' journey, — and thence by steamer 
to Tromso, Hammerfest, and North Cape, to witness the 
phenomenon of the midnight sun. The voyage is long 
and wearisome, but if accomplished in due season, late in 
June, the spectacle must prove one which will never be 
forgotten. The sun, as midnight approaches, sinks close to 
the horizon like a ball of fire, shedding the richest hues of 
gold and red over the rocky coast and the waters of the Arctic 
Ocean. There the orb remains apparently stationary for 
several minutes, and when midnight has passed, it again slowly 
moves upward without having disappeared below the horizon. 
At rare intervals a persistent traveller extends his voyage to 
Nordkyn, Tana, and Varanger Fjord to explore more thor- 
oughly the rugged, indented shores of Finmarken, the home 
of the Lapp and the reindeer. Returning southward along 



428 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the coast, the traveller should land at Molde to traverse 
Romsdal Amt, or county, which is rich with snow-clad moun- 
tains, charming fjords, and numerous falls. Returning to 
Molde in season for the steamer, the next objective point 
would be Bergen, whence the celebrated Hardanger Fjord and 
the great Voring Fos are within moderate distance. This 
cataract is reputed the highest in Europe, with the single 
exception of a veil-like fall in the Cirque de Gavarnie, in the 
Pyrenees, which is said to have an altitude of nearly fourteen 
hundred feet. The descent in the latter, however, is twice 
interrupted by ledges, while the mighty Voring Fos has an 
unbroken perpendicular fall of probably nine hundred feet. 
Some authorities state it as only five or six hundred feet. Of 
this wonder of nature Bayard Taylor ventures to say, that 
" in height, volume of water, and sublime surroundings it has 
no equal." Thence starting from Eide, the country must 
be recrossed by cariole to enjoy the bold scenery amidst the 
snow-capped fjelle of central Norway. By taking a course 
slightly to the north, Gjovik and the beautiful Lake Mjosen 
will be reached. Once there, the railroad and lake steamer 
will place the traveller in Kongsberg, the base for a trip 
through Telemarken, — the prettiest scenery in Norway. 

Having but a few days to devote to the interior, we decided 
upon Telemarken. Leaving Christiania by rail, to economize 
time, we followed the southwesterly course through Sand- 
viken, Drammen, and Haugsund to Kongsberg, a journey 
of five hours. As the train progresses the country increases 
in beauty, and especially in the vicinity of Drammen the 
landscapes are most picturesque. The town is approached 
through a cutting known as the Roken Tunnel, and after 
emerging the eye rests upon the enchanting valley of Lier, 
with its little river which winds like the folds of a serpent. 
Drammen ranks as the fifth Norwegian city, and is extensively 
engaged in the lumber trade. Haugsund is noted for its 






NORWAY. 429 

salmon-fishing, and enjoys the dignity of being a junction station. 
Kongsberg, the starting-point for the glories of the district 
called Telemarken, is an active town of five thousand people, 
built upon the impetuous river Laagen, which is here marked 
by a group of cataracts. The place depends chiefly upon the 
timber exports, assisted by the moderately productive govern- 
ment silver mines in the vicinity. 

A letter from Consul-General Gade. committed us to the care 
of the proprietor of the modest Victoria Hotel at Kongsberg, 
the only master of English, save one, whom we met on the 
entire excursion. By direction of the consul the host was to 
provide among the traps the same horse, cariole, and boy used 
by General Grant a few weeks previous, as that outfit was 
recognized as the best in the stables. The boy's name proved 
to be Yawcup, and his stock of English was summed up in 
the words, " Oh ! yes." The horse in question was not par- 
ticularly spirited, yet his share of animation compared favor- 
ably with the others. Thus equipped, we took the road. 
Yawcup sat on a bag of feed which was fastened to the perch 
behind, while the portmanteau and wraps were accommodated 
in the front of the shell-body by the dash. The feet rest in 
iron loops outside the body of the cariole, and a leather apron 
covers the lap. 

Ten minutes sufficed to clear the town, and then for an hour 
or more not a creature was encountered. After following the 
course of the Laagen for a few miles, the road led in among 
the mountains, and the work became inspiring. Onward the 
curious little traps rattled through fir and pine forests ; now 
skirting the base of the mountains ; now beside a noisy, stony 
stream. Xext a turn in the road disclosed a wood-bound 
lake on whose surface not a ripple could be detected ; not a 
living thing moved. Tempting water-lilies lifted their heads 
in groups within hopeful reach, but the effort to gather them 
was arrested after a few steps on the uncertain boggy shore. 



430 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Now the quiet horses slowly climbed the mountain side, from 
the summit of which a brilliant prospect expands for miles, 
with only a patch of grain or a log cabin at long intervals 
to attest the presence of man. Perhaps a hamlet then dotted 
the road. A hamlet ! Yes, a Norwegian hamlet, which may 
comprise only half a dozen poor log cabins and a score of 
sun-browned men and women. Farther on a primitive bridge 
spans a stream, and while the horses rested upon it we watched 
the trout jumping against the swift current. 

A drive of five hours brought us to Bolkesjo, where we 
lunched and fed the horses. The place consists of only six or 
eight cabins, but the view is heralded as being without a rival 
in Switzerland, Italy, or elsewhere in Norway. Those who 
travel soon discover that the world is too abundantly enriched 
with scenic splendors to consider such a discussion profitable, 
but to do justice to the surpassing grandeur of Bolkesjo would 
imply a more potent medium than that afforded by language. 
It is one of those imposing panoramas of nature wherein the 
majesty of the Creator is reflected in sublimity, and His love 
in soft, peaceful beauty. This magnificent domain and the 
forests for miles around are the property of a miserly, slovenly 
bachelor, who has reached a mature age under the name of 
Ole Bolkesjo. His sole companion and servant is a scrawny 
female, to whom the dirt of a decade clings in the most con- 
spicuous and repulsive manner. The interior of his cabin is 
not inviting, but the humble fare is served with a show of 
kindness. The repast consisted of eggs, coffee, bread, and dried 
meats ; and we advised Yawcup by signs — the language of all 
nations — that he should likewise partake. Upon asking for the 
bill we found the charge to be only fifty ores (fourteen cents) 
each, including an unusually liberal infliction of venomous 
fleas. 

Upon registering our names and "stand" in the dagbog, Ole 
ejaculated, " So !" and proudly turned to a familiar autograph, 



NORWAY. 431 

" U. S. Grant, United States." On a succeeding page were 
the names " Napoleon" and " Gustavus," the late prince im- 
perial of France, and his companion, the crown prince of 
Sweden and Norway. A few years since the crown prince of 
Germany passed a night at Bolkesjo, and gave Ole his photo- 
graph with the usual autograph attached. The old man 
directed us to the sleeping apartment on the second floor to 
see his treasure, but we were more interested in the quaint 
beds with curious mottoes cut in the framework overhead. 

After a lapse of two hours Ave proceeded through Ole's great 
forest and around a large lake. Even when Bolkesjo disap- 
peared behind the mountains the distance was still long before 
the day's work should be finished. At eight in the evening 
the women were yet at work reaping the patches of grain with 
the primitive sickle. Poverty and the nature of the land 
render agricultural machines a rarity ; and but few could 
possibly be needed when the statistics declare that " not above 
twenty Norwegian square miles of the whole area of the 
country are under the plough." The small sheaves are made 
as the grain is cut, and twelve or more are piled on each of a 
number of poles thrust in the ground at intervals. During 
our progress we started an occasional woodcock, grouse, or 
other feathered creature that had carelessly selected a roost by 
the road. At one place a numerous herd of cattle were driven 
past, each tingling bell adding its quota to the discordant forest 
medley. It was no cause for regret when at nine o'clock we 
turned an angle which brought us in sight of a village and a 
broad lake ahead. Yawcup understood our inquiring look 
and at once exclaimed, " Oh ! yes ; Tinoset !" 

We took quarters at a little inn built of logs and perched 
on an eminence commanding the beauteous Tind Sjo, or Lake 
Tind. Not a creature there could speak our language, so we 
supped quietly, wrote up our diaries, powdered the beds, and 
slept soundly. It is almost indispensable that a traveller in 



432 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Norway shall postpone retiring until he is thoroughly sleepy, 
as tossing is a forbidden pastime in the native country beds. 
So narrow are they that it absolutely requires care to remain 
in one ; and the length being equally deficient, the temptation 
to drive out the foot-board is difficult to resist. In addition, 
the covers have no width, nor are they ever tucked in at the 
foot. Five minutes suffice to drag the whole bunch half way 
up to the pillow, and the man has not yet been created who 
has the faculty of rearranging a disordered bed in the dark. 
To light a candle implies closing the sash, as the rapacity of 
the mosquitoes on the shores of the lakes prompts that pre- 
caution. 

The next morning a ludicrous complication arose in the 
absence of a common medium of conversation. The itinerary 
required that we should proceed by a small steamer to Strand, 
at the north of the lake ; but upon consulting the schedule we 
discovered that the little craft was not expected until the fol- 
lowing day. The delay promised to interfere with our plans, 
and we therefore entered into negotiations to be rowed to the 
desired destination. Eventually, by means of the dumb show of 
rowing, with the word Strand and the sight of a kroner (crown, 
— twenty-eight cents), the fishermen comprehended our want. 
The price demanded was fifteen crowns, but a ten-crown note, 
temptingly displayed, won the day. Soon after starting the 
two men went ashore to gather boughs, which they spread in 
the stern of the boat. These they covered with our shawls, 
and, opening one of the umbrellas, indicated that we should 
luxuriate. They accepted a flask of cognac with profuse ap- 
preciation, and reciprocated with a bottle of beer. With a 
single rest for lunch, those hardy men pulled steadily in the 
burning sun for five hours, when they landed us at the dimin- 
utive but cleanly Strand Hotel. There we were fortunate in 
meeting a friendly interpreter in a young sea-captain in the 
English service, who was visiting his native land. 



NORWAY. 433 

After enjoying the glorious surroundings at Strand, we 
started by cariole for the Ejukan Fos, which is scarcely second 
in rank to the Voring Fos, as the greatest of the many Nor- 
wegian falls. The road follows the narrow valley of the 
Maan River, amid mountain scenery of rare grandeur. The 
principal landmark along the road is the Gousta Fjeld, the 
only snow-clad peak of Telemarken, which is six thousand 
feet in height, and has a different aspect from each side. From 
the south its length is so extended that it may be mistaken for 
a range ; from the north it appears to have a long horizontal 
summit; and from the west the peak is nearly a perfect 
pyramid, of a height sufficient to dwarf Cheops itself. At a 
hamlet called Vaa the road ceases, and the remainder of the 
ascent, which is both steep and rugged, must be accomplished 
on horses or afoot. Just where the carioles are left a slender 
cascade starts from the summit of a neighboring mountain, 
and falls from ledge to ledge through a distance of not less 

o o o 

than two thousand feet to the valley below without being lost 
to sight. 

The roar of the Ejukan Fos is heard while the expectant 
traveller is conjecturing its location, but at length the weary 
climber stands upon the verge of a precipice, panting with 
exertion, yet absorbed in contemplating the most magnificent 
of the Norwegian falls. A wooden bench affords a resting- 
place within full view of the imposing spectacle, and other 
perches are distributed lower down in the chasm. The cata- 
ract begins in a rocky channel, deepened by the action of the 
water, in an elevated declivity between the mountains. The 
entire volume is first precipitated at a sharp angle, and then 
perpendicularly for a distance variously stated to be from seven 
hundred and eighty to nine hundred feet. This immense fall 
of a large body of water into a rocky basin produces a great 
cloud of spray, which rises like steam from a gigantic boiling 
cauldron, and hence the name, Ejukan Fos, which signifies 



434 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

"seething or smoking fall." A gap in the basin permits the 
exit of the water, and now it clashes at a sharp incline over 
the intervening rocks. Farther down the descent assumes the 
form of rapids, and the entire surface — here as broad as a fair 
stream — is creamy-white with foam. Thus fairly started on 
its course, the stream becomes the Maan Elv, or Maan River, 
which the traveller has followed in his drive from Strand. 
The Tourists' Club of Norway has erected a hotel close to the 
falls, where refreshments or quarters can be had before return- 
ing to Strand. 

" I do not think I am extravagant," declares Bayard Taylor, 
"when I say that the Ejukan Fos is the most beautiful cata- 
ract in the world. I looked upon it with that involuntary 
suspension of the breath and quickening of the pulse which 
is the surest recognition of beauty. The whole scene, with its 
breadth and grandeur of form and its superb gloom of coloring, 
enshrining this one glorious flash of grace and brightness and 
loveliness, is indelibly impressed upon my mind. Not alone 
during that half hour of fading sunset, but day after day and 
night after night, the embroidered spray-wreaths of the Ejukan 
were falling before me." 

The little steamer came to Strand on the following day and 
conveyed us back to Tinoset, where Yawcup was waiting. 
Thence making a circuit of several hours through a thickly- 
wooded section, we reached one of the oldest and best pre- 
served of the Norwegian stavekirker (churches of staves), the 
Church of Hitterdal. As the word denotes, the building is 
entirely of wood and in the Byzantine style, with sharp gables 
rising one above another, and finished with peaked towers. 
Nearly an English mile or more from Hitterdal we took 
quarters at Lysthus, under the care of Jomfru Hoist. The 
title implies the same as the German jungfrau, and we can 
only suppose that the hostess of Lysthus retains it as a me- 
mento of the remote past. Already her energy as a housewife 



NORWAY. 435 

is waning, and it must be feared, if the decline continues, 
future travellers will be regaled with a narrative telling how 
Dame Hoist was carried off bodily by myriads of fleas. After 
bidding a long farewell to Lysthus, we followed the road to 
the Tind Fos. This cataract is only of moderate height, but 
the volume of water, which is divided into three parts by 
masses of rock, is sufficient to render it very attractive. We 
made only one additional halt before the long day's journey 
was finished at Kongsberg, where General Grant's horse and 
cariole were again at home. 

Returning by rail to Christiania the next morning, upon 
the following afternoon we took places in the through -express 
for Sweden. Although our tour had failed to include many 
of the famed scenic beauties of Norway, we were nevertheless 
glad to be released from the miseries incidental to a contact 
with the untidy people of the interior, despite our admiration 
of their proud devotion to a wintry country, and our respect 
for their belief that it was the hardy Norsemen who landed 
upon the shores of America more than five centuries before 
Columbus headed thither the prows of his Spanish ships. 

"Minstrel, awaken the harp from its slumbers, 
Strike for old Norway, the land of the free ! 
High and heroic, in soul-stirring numbers, 
Clime of our fathers, we strike it for thee ! 

"Old recollections awake our affections, — 

Hallow the name of the land of our birth : 
Each heart beats its loudest, each cheek glows its proudest, 
For Norway the ancient, the throne of the earth."* 

* The national song of Norway. 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

SWEDEN. 

Railroad communication is now open from Christiania to 
Gothenburg and Stockholm, which greatly facilitates the tour 
of the Scandinavian peninsula. Upon leaving Christiania we 
directed our course to Gothenburg for the purpose of making 
the voyage through the Goth a Canal to Stockholm. In con- 
sequence of the practice of remaining several minutes at each 
station the journey by rail consumed no less than seventeen 
hours, although the distance is not quite three hundred miles. 
The usual visitation of luggage occurs at Charlottenberg, on 
the frontier, which was rather unexpected in view of the union 
of the two countries under one sovereign. Here the conven- 
tional European railway carriage of Norway was exchanged 
for the Swedish compartment car, which is the same as those 
in Russia and not unlike a Pullman " sleeper" when arranged 
for sitting. The junction at Laxa was reached at midnight, 
and there passengers for Gothenburg undergo a weary delay 
of one hour in a cold station, after having been suddenly 
roused from their sleep. Apparently it has yet to dawn upon 
the managers that a train for Stockholm might include one 
car designated to be switched off for the southern line. A 
noticeable feature on the journey was the change from the 
mountain grandeur of Norway to the less pretentious though 
pretty scenery of Sweden. The train arrived at Gothenburg 
early in the morning, and as the Gotha Canal steamer was 
announced to leave only an hour before midnight, the interval 
afforded more than sufficient time to see the city. 
436 



SWEDEN. 437 

Gothenburg, or Goteborg in Swedish, is the leading port of 
Sweden, and the second city in point of population, number- 
ing, as it does, about seventy thousand people. Its location 
upon the Gotha River, within five miles of the Cattegat, in- 
sures a good harbor, and a general representation of the mari- 
time nationalities is observable among the shipping. The 
bulk of the exported merchandise consists of lumber and the 
celebrated Swedish iron and steel. The city was founded in 
1619 by King Gustavus Adolphus, the Protestant hero, who 
overcame the heretofore victorious Wallenstein in the Thirty 
Years' War. Most of the streets are notably broad and 
regular, and several have canals in the Dutch style. Suc- 
cessive fires have been followed by improvements, until now 
the buildings are both modern and handsome. The principal 
square, the Gustaf Adolfs Torg, is surrounded by public edi- 
fices and ornamented with a colossal bronze statue of that 
monarch. Neither the churches nor the museums afford any 
items of interest, but the Horticultural Society's gardens are 
not to be overlooked. 

Close to the city is the villa of Mr. Oscar Dickson, a 
Scotch merchant, whose grounds are beautifully gardened in 
the English style and command the finest view of the city. 
Mr. Dickson's name has become somewhat familiar on account 
of his recent munificence in conjunction with King Oscar and 
Mr. Sibiriankoff, a wealthy Siberian, in fitting out the Arctic 
expedition under Prof. Nordenskjold, the Swedish explorer 
and mineralogist. The intention of the venture was to attempt 
the so-called northeast passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
and the result has proved a measure of success which never 
before attended a similar undertaking. Leaving Gothenburg 
in the month of July in the Vega, the explorer followed the 
shores of Norway and Russia, between 70° and 78° north 
latitude, and without difficulty accomplished the voyage to the 
mouth of the Lena River, on the coast of Siberia. Further 



438 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

satisfactory progress followed until winter overtook the expe- 
dition, and the vessel became ice-bound near the entrance to 
Behring's Strait ; but with the arrival of spring the passage 
was completed. The commercial value of the discovery re- 
mains to be determined, although Prof. Xordenskjold not only 
advocates the establishment of a line of steamers to the mouth 
of the Yenesei River, but he also believes that regular com- 
munication may be sustained with the Lena from both Russia 
and America. 

During the afternoon at Gothenburg we took possession of 
our state-room on the Gotha Canal steamer, which proved to 
be the Baltzar von Platen, the name of the De Lesse'ps of 
the North. The boat is especially adapted for the service, and 
although elegance is wanting, there is no lack of comfort. The 
project to open a water-route between the Baltic and the in- 
terior of Sweden was conceived as early as 1516, but nothing 
was attempted until the time of Charles IX., the beginning of 
the next century, when work was commenced in the vicinity of 
the Palls of Trollhattan. The enterprise made some progress 
during the reigns of Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII., 
but after the latter's death, in 1718, a period of inactivity fol- 
lowed, which continued until 1742. The work then advanced 
slowly until the final decade in the last century, when the 
stupendous cutting at Trollhattan was pressed to completion 
and opened in 1800, thereby securing an outlet for the ex- 
tensive territory bordering on the sea-like Lake Wenern. A 
few years later Baron Baltzar von Platen was appointed 
engineer, and at once prepared a survey of the entire route. 
Energetic and confident, in the face of serious obstacles, he 
completed the West Gotha Canal in 1822, thus opening the 
way between Lakes Wettern and Wenern. In 1829 the baron 
died, but his plans were so far matured that his successors 
finished the undertaking in 1832. Since then, between 1836 
and 1844, the Trollhattan section has been widened and a new 



swede x. 439 

line of locks added. The army furnished the laborers, and 
the canal is the property of the government. 

The distance between Gothenburg and Stockholm by this 
route is three hundred and seventy miles, but only fifty miles 
are actually canal. Some of the many rivers and bays of 
Sweden constitute the remainder, together with a stretch of 
fifty miles anions; the coastal islands in the Baltic. The 
seven divisions of the canal are furnished with no less than 
seventy -four locks, distributed from a single one to a group of 
eleven. The voyage by the steamer occupies two and a half 
days, but the novelty of the surroundings and the varying 
scenery insure entire freedom from monotony or weariness. In 
every respect the pleasures of the trip are equal to those on 
the Caledonian Canal of Scotland, even though the passage 
of the latter is accomplished under more luxurious auspices. 
In support of these statements it may be appropriate to intro- 
duce a verbatim copy of the poster of the steamboat company, 
which is a specimen of the amusing efforts at English not un- 
frequently met in Sweden. The announcement is appended to 
a fair map of the route, on which the land is pale green, the 
water blue, the railroad black, and the steamer's course red. 
The word strom signifies stream or river : 

"The Steam-Stock-Compaxy Motala Strom 

entertains several times a weeck, with the first-rate steamers 
Motala Strom, Baltzar von Platen, Venus, Juno and Vad- 
stena a regular communication between Stockholm and 
Gothenburg, through the canals of Gota and Trollhatta, and 
between the greatest part of the harbours of the Venern-l-ake, 
being then called at the places marked with red lines accord- 
ing to the particular list of voyages, which besides, is entirely 
published in the journal for the communications of Sweden 
and so arranged that the nicest places are passed by at day- 
light." 



440 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. . 

When the hour for starting drew near, eleven at night, the 
steamer had almost a full complement of passengers, nearly 
all of whom lingered on deck to enjoy the moonlit scenery of 
the Gotha River. A young Londoner, who had travelled in 
the United States, and an English lumber merchant of Stock- 
holm, who spoke Swedish, readily concluded an alliance with 
us, which was joined by the youngish captain as far as his 
duties would permit. The captain was prolific of stories, 
rendered in good English ; the Anglo-Swede conducted the 
excursions on shore, and from early morn until midnight the 
hours drifted away on the swift current of merriment. At 
five o'clock on the morning following the departure from 
Gothenburg the stewardess knocked at the state-room door to 
announce our arrival at the first of the Troll hattan locks. The 
attractions clustered here, comprising the falls and the brilliant 
scenery, are regarded as the choicest of the voyage, and we 
were therefore but a few moments in making a toilet and 
taking coifee. Half a score of boys wearing caps marked 
" Cicerone" stood ready as guides, one of whom we selected, 
and then immediately started, as the captain had stipulated 
that we should return within two hours. The Platen had 
nine locks to pass in order to round the cataracts, after which 
some delay would occur in handling cargo at the village, 
thereby affording reasonable time for the expedition. Follow- 
ing a path among the lofty hills, our boyish conductor led us 
through landscapes 

" as fair withal as ever mortal head 
Imagined in its little schemes of thought." 

Continuing at a rapid pace for more than half an hour until 
we were all aglow with the exertion, he at length emerged on 
an eminence commanding a superb view of the seven cataracts 
and the rich scenery in which Nature has set them as becoming 
to the gem of Sweden. The lowest three of the series — the: 



SWEDEN. 441 

Helvetes, or Hell Falls, which lash the river into a creamy 
foam for a considerable distance — have so little altitude as to 
be dependent upon the large volume of water for their scenic 
effect. The remaining four are grouped farther up the river, 
in the midst of the village and the mills which utilize a mite 
of their power. That known as the Toppo Fall has a descent 
of forty-four feet, and is the highest and most impressive. 
A suspension bridge, extending to a rock in the middle of the 
river, affords an excellent point of observation. The aggre- 
gate height of the seven falls is only one hundred and twelve 
feet, but their passage has necessitated the undertaking of 
cutting a canal through more than half a mile of solid rock, 
where nine locks effect a change of level of one hundred and 
twenty feet. Among the minor objects in the vicinity is the 
Kungsgrotten, or King's Grotto, so called because the names 
of several royal visitors have been carved upon its sides. It 
consists of a large hemispherical excavation in the rock above 
the river, and so smooth on the inside as to leave no doubt 
that its creation is due to the action of pebbles driven in a 
circle by currents of water. Higher up still is a second and 
deeper hollow formed by the same mysterious agency, and so 
located as to excite speculation regarding the period when the 
river could have occupied so remote a bed. Such then is the 
panorama of nature and art, so briefly outlined, which has 
given renown to Troll hattan, or the Home of the Water- 
witches. 

The cicerone had finished his round, and we were eating 
breakfast in the garden of the village hotel, beside the canal, 
when the Platen slowly approached. Although the captain 
had named two hours as the limit of our absence, it was fully 
nine o'clock before the steamer moved ; but by eleven we 
reached Wenersborg, a town of five thousand inhabitants, 
situated at the extremity of Lake "Wenern. After a brief 
delay we passed Mounts Halleberg and Hunneberg, with their 

29 



442 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

surrounding forests, and then Lake Wenern opened before us 
like an inland sea. Lake Wenern, or Venern, as written by the 
Swedes, is ninety-four miles long and about fifty wide at the 
broadest part. Its surface is dotted with considerable shipping 
of the smaller class, and several flourishing towns are built 
on its shores. The captain stated that the storms on Wenern 
in the fall were more to be feared than those on the ocean, 
and in winter navigation is entirely closed by ice. While the 
scenery about the lake is pleasing to the eye, it cannot compare 
in grandeur to similar environs in Norway. It was late in 
the afternoon before the Platen had crossed to Sjotorp and 
entered the West Gotha Canal. Soon after, the locking pro- 
cess commenced in earnest, as there are no less than nineteen to 
pass in a distance of twenty miles. Several are situated in 
the vicinity of villages, and during the slow operation the 
people gathered near the boat to see the strangers. The picture 
of the steamer in the lock amid beautiful farm or woodland 
landscape is both novel and charming. Then the sensation of 
rising or falling with the water is peculiar, and it seems curious 
to be able to reach out of the state-room port and touch the 
wall as the boat slowly moves forward. 

A bleak wind and rain came with the sunset and drove us 
below in spite of the claims of the scenery. To increase our 
regret we knew that the stormy night would entail missing 
the exquisite beauty of the narrow winding Viken Lake, 
where the steamer's course is among wooded islets or along 
shores indented with bays and rich with forests of ash, birch, 
and fir. People on such an expedition are never disinclined 
to eat, so that the opportune sound of the supper bell was 
hailed as a promise of consolation for the inauspicious weather. 
The neat little dining-saloon of the Platen is placed in the 
forward cabin, and offers a snug retreat at all hours of the 
day. A cheerful stewardess manages the cuisine by contract, 
and the inviting Swedish cooking is a satisfaction to hungry 



SWEDEN. 443 

people. Upon entering the saloon one and all first approach 
a side-board and partake of the smbrgas, or " buttergoose." 
The smorgasbord, or table with the viands, is a favorite in- 
stitution in Sweden, and throughout the country it invariably 
precedes each meal. The edibles which form it comprise a 
variety of cold dishes, such as tongue, ham, veal, sardines, 
sausage, anchovies, salmon, caviare, beef, cheese, and bread. 
Accompanying these is a choice of Swedish spirits in orna- 
mental decanters. No servant waits at the smorgasbord, but 
all patrons help themselves, and then take seats at the long 
tables, when the regular meal follows, served in the usual 
manner. Upon rising to leave another novelty presents itself 
in the " restauration book/' which is passed from one to 
another, each passenger personally entering the charge for 
the meal on a separate page. The word middag, or dinner, 
suffices, if that is the meal, but all drinks, cafe noir, or other 
extras must be detailed. At the conclusion of the voyage the 
stewardess fills in the prices, and a settlement is made. This 
system prevails on all Swedish steamers, and is said to be 
eminently beneficial to the restaurant in checking losses by 
omission. However that may be, it certainly appeals to the 
honor so directly that the duty to make the entries cannot be 
forgotten. 

Upon arising the second morning out, our Anglo-Swedish 
companion announced his purpose to be shaved, which appar- 
ently implied nothing remarkable. "VVe had braved the pro- 
cess in various styles in a dozen countries, until at length the 
Orientals made it no longer endurable. Despite all this it was 
a surprise when an assistant stewardess — a comely Swedish 
maid — absolutely performed the operation with the artistic 
touch of a Figaro. While she was passing the razor over his 
face in the most delicate manner, he descanted on the delights 
of the process and magnified the sensations which he regretted 
were not permitted to the wearer of a beard. Just after 



444 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

breakfast the steamer halted at the fortress of Karlsborg, an 
uncompleted work undertaken with a view to defend the 
approach to the canal from the great Wettern Lake. A few 
minutes later the Platen was tossing on the stormy lake 
like a channel steamer, much to the disgust of those who 
were obliged to use the odious bowls. Lake Wettern, or 
Vettern, in the Svensk orthography, is nearly as long as the 
neighboring Venern, but not so wide. The water is deep, and 
the unpleasant chopping seas, with squalls, such as we expe- 
rienced, are among its characteristics. Fortunately, the passage 
across to Wadstena occupied only an hour and a half, and there 
we had an opportunity to enjoy a walk on shore. The little 
town, with its miniature breakwater, is a picture of no ordi- 
nary beauty. Close by the landing is an imposing Renaissance 
palace or castle with a moat, built by the patriotic Gustavus 
Wasa in 1545. The interior, however, was a complete dis- 
appointment, as it has been stripped of all its former glory 
and converted into a granary. Curiously enough the Wadstena 
church contains the shrine of St. Bridget, which we were about 
to visit when the steamer's whistle warned us to return without 
the information for a description. In another half hour we 
had crossed a corner of the lake to the important town of 
Motala, where the canal again commences. 

Motala is one of the most active of the inland towns, and 
owes its prosperity to the possession of the largest group of 
iron-foundries and machine-shops in Sweden. These works 
were originally established to supply the necessary tools for 
the construction of the canal, but since then many others have 
been erected, until now the place has become the machinery 
centre of the country. The liberality of the government in 
encouraging improvements, and its material assistance in orders 
for iron steamers and naval machinery, have done much to 
advance Motala to its present position. While the Platen 
was discharging cargo, we walked along the banks of the 



SWEDEN. 445 

canal to the Borenhult sluices, enjoying the picturesque scenery 
and taking lunch at a little inn by the way. Nearly midway 
on the walk, in a shaded grove, is the enclosed grave of Baron 
Baltzar von Platen, the successful engineer of the canal. Only a 
marble slab may be seen within the railing, his impressive me- 
morial being the busy highway from sea to sea. The entrance 
to Lake Boren is marked by five locks, through which the 
boat descends fifty-one feet. Here, while awaiting the arrival 
of the steamer, we met a bold Yankee from Springfield, Massa- 
chusetts, who had come to Motala to introduce a turbine- wheel 
capable of generating unlimited power from a heavy fall of 
morning dew. When the Platen settled into the last lock 
we went on board, and found the passenger list had been 
increased by the presence of the Russian governor of Finland, 
in company with an elderly Swedish count and his young wife. 
At supper, on Lake Boren, the entire table became mysteriously 
acquainted with the fact that the youthful countess had been 
an actress at Helsingfors. The electric fluid is not more 
subtle than gossip. 

After crossing Lake Boren the canal again commences, and 
long daylight insured the full benefit of its surrounding beauties. 
At Berg the passage of a group of eleven locks, which overcome 
the descending grade to Lake Roxen, affords time to see a 
neighboring church called Vretakloster, which is of old Gothic 
style, and contains the tombs of three Swedish kings. Another 
chapel within the church is devoted to the members of the 
Douglass family, who abandoned their Scottish home in the 
time of Cromwell and fought for Sweden in the Thirty Years 7 
War. Lake Roxen was passed by twilight, but it was fairly 
night when Norsholm turned out to greet us. The moon 
illumined the succeeding line of canal, and midnight found 
us keeping storied watch with the captain before the wheel- 
house. Soderkoping was doubtless seen by the lookout, but 
we knew nothing except dreams until morning, when the 



446 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Platen was threading its way among the coastal islands in 
the Oster Sjon, or plain Baltic Sea. While at breakfast we 
entered an estuary leading to the Sodertelge Canal, and pro- 
ceeded in the midst of its labyrinth of islands to the town of 
Sodertelge, a fashionable resort for sea-bathing. There half a 
score of women came on board to sell a popular local production 
called pepper-cake, but we found it dry and tasteless. Upon 
emerging from the Sodertelge Canal on the north, the beauti- 
ful Malar Lake was before us with its thirteen hundred islets. 
After winding around the promontories on its southern shore 
for a distance of twenty miles, the spires of Stockholm an- 
nounced the near completion of the delightful voyage. Ele- 
gant villas and palaces now ornamented the banks, and a 
dozen or more of diminutive steamers traversed the surface as 
if life depended on their speed. Between three and four 
in the afternoon the Platen was moored at her berth by the 
Kiddarholm Quay, where the omnibus of the hotel was in 
waiting. 

The Swedish capital is sometimes called "the Venice of 
the JSTorth," and the same title is likewise occasionally given 
to Amsterdam. Both cities possess certain elements of simi- 
larity to "the masque of Italy," accounting for the com- 
parison, yet no two could be more unlike each other. The 
canals of Amsterdam have little resemblance to those of 
Venice, and the clumsy boats and quaint peaked architecture 
dissolve any additional illusion. The Queen of the Baltic, 
like her now dogeless sister of the Adriatic, is partly built 
upon islands in the midst of water-courses, but the stroms of 
the former are rivers where the lagoons of the latter are only 
narrow canals. Stockholm has much of the picturesque en- 
semble for which Venice is celebrated ; and when " sheening 
far" from the Baltic, or even from the Malar Lake, the mag- 
nificence of its situation is apparent. That section of the city 
which borders on the Baltic end of the Norr Strom, or North 



SWEDEN. 447 

Stream, has been effectively compared to the view near the 
mouth of the Grand Canal of Venice. The royal palace and 
other buildings front on one side of the water; the new 
National Museum, the Grand Hotel, and a portion of Gustaf 
Adolf s Square are opposite ; and the North Bridge, with the 
pleasure-gardens beneath, forms a third side. In the remain- 
ing direction the stream widens, and the prospect includes 
the island called Skeppsholm and adjacent quarters of the 
city. At night the whole of this section is brilliantly illu- 
minated, and scores of boats, with their colored lights, cross 
the water in every direction. A band plays in the garden 
below the bridge, and the streets are thronged with the hun- 
dreds who seek the centre of a city for evening amusement. 
A more animated and yet novel scene will rarely be encoun- 
tered in any city. 

Stockholm is chronicled as having been founded in the year 
1260, and the name is said to be derived from the two words 
stock and holm, or wood and island. The country in the 
vicinity is still heavily wooded, thereby giving strength to 
this derivation. The history of the city includes several 
lengthy sieges and a political massacre in 1520. Stockholm 
became the capital of Sweden soon after its foundation, and 
the advantages of the location of an estuary between the 
Baltic and the Malar Lake have been sufficient to continue 
its ascendency. The present population is about one hundred 
and fifty thousand, and a large majority profess the Lutheran 
religion. As the capital of the dual monarchy, it is the resi- 
dence of the king, as well as the seat of the Diet of Sweden. 

The views of the city from various eminences, and the short 
excursions to places of beauty in the environs, occupy much 
of the traveller's sojourn. The mode of conveyance is usually 
the miniature steamers plying in every direction, and many 
of which are scarcely more than steam yachts or launches, 
but of remarkable speed. The Malar Lake is seventy-five 



448 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

miles in length, and the scenery among its labyrinth of islands 
is of such grandeur as to prompt many of these excursions. 
The castle of Gripsholm, the royal summer residence of Ul- 
riskdal, the palace of Drottningholm, and others of similar 
character are the favorite resorts. A general example of the 
inducements to make these trips will be found in the follow- 
ing alluring announcement to English tourists regarding the 
steamers to Gripsholm : 

"Without the ' journey for recreation' in Thirsday entertains 
the steamer Gripsholm dayly regular communication between 
Stockholm, Mariefred, Gripsholm, passing Horn, Herrestad, 
etc., which is entirely published in the newspapers ISwerges 
Kommunikationer Aflonbadet and Nya Daglight Allehanda, 
and will properly for strangers this agreeable travel to the 
memorable Gripsholm to be commended. The finest dining 
are to get on board." 

During the period of our stay in Stockholm, Director- 
General Goshorn was also in the city, and made the above 
excursion on the king's private steamer, which was placed at 
the disposal of the Centennial chief. Among the party were 
the sister and niece of the general, and he whose eloquent 
voice has since become silent in death, Hon. Morton Mc- 
Michael. (Honored by his friendship and words of encour- 
agement, many a man young in years, as well as the old, will 
cherish his memory with grateful affection.) The American 
guests were escorted by a representative of the king and a 
distinguished circle of ladies and gentlemen. A banquet was 
provided on board, and, in the addresses which followed, Gen- 
eral Goshorn was sensibly affected by the cordiality and esteem 
with which he was greeted. Indeed, the unaffected hospitality 
he received everywhere in Sweden will establish the tour 
among the happiest experiences of his life. 

The variety of excursions by water and popularity of the 
many pleasure-gardens about the city prove the fondness of 



SWEDEN. 449 

the people for out-door recreation. The most fashionable 
among the latter is that known as Hasselbacken, where every 
traveller is obligated to dine, or else suffer the taunt that his 
acquaintance with Stockholm is incomplete. Close by Hassel- 
backen are the "Alhambra," "Tivoli," and other similar 
resorts where variety entertainments form the staple attraction 
for all classes. In the same vicinity is the Djurgard, or Deer 
Park, a splendid piece of public wooded domain and the pop- 
ular rendezvous on fete days. The tower of the Belvedere, 
which affords the finest view of the city, is built on the highest 
point of these grounds. This amusement quarter is located 
on the outskirts of the city, but the small steamers reach it 
from every direction in a few minutes and at an expense of 
only ten ores, or less than three cents. While proceeding 
there by the boat from Gustaf Adolfs Torg, or square, around 
Skeppsholm, or Ship Island, we noticed thirteen small mon- 
itors in the basins at the naval station. Beyond the city 
limits, on the northwest, is the Haga Park, which is noted 
for its beautiful lake and picturesque, rocky landscapes ; and 
the park of Karlberg, in the same direction, claims attention 
because of its superb trees. Strangers also generally cross to 
Sodermalm, the southern suburb, to climb the Mosebacke, or 
hill of Moses, where, from the terrace of the Stadsgarden, an 
excellent idea of the plan of the city may be obtained. In 
the same vicinity, on Horns Gatan, is the modest house which 
was once the home of Emanuel Swedenborg, the theosophist. 

While upon the subject of amusements, an allusion should 
be made to the Royal Theatre, the scene of the earliest 
triumphs of Jenny Lind and Nilsson. This edifice, which is 
somewhat imposing, occupies the eastern side of the Gustaf 
Adolfs Torg, and will seat about eighteen hundred or two 
thousand people. The interior is arranged in tiers of loges, 
like nearly all European opera-houses, with the royal box in 
the centre of the lowest circle. The State grants an annual 



450 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

subsidy to insure both operatic aud dramatic productions of 
the highest rank, and the music-loving Swedes assist with 
their liberal patronage. The night we were present, " Carmen" 
was creditably sung by a company solely of Swedes, with 
NiehofF, a favorite soprano, in the title role. Just here it 
may not be inopportune to recall that Jenny Lind was born in 
Stockholm, and that the petted Nilsson came from the humblest 
of the log cabins of Smaland, in the southeastern part of 
Sweden. The king has a painting of the cabin among his 
collection in the royal palace, which suggests the query, 
whether the imperious 'prima donna regards such a glorification 
of her lowly origin with pride or chagrin. 

The churches of Stockholm in general have little of that 
grandeur which distinguishes the sacred architecture of Europe, 
but apart from this the Riddarholms Krykan is noticeable as 
the royal sepulchre of Sweden. The style of this church was 
formerly Gothic, but inharmonious restorations and additions 
in the form of chapels have left but little of the original 
design. The most conspicuous feature of the exterior is the 
perforated cast-iron spire, which reaches to a height of three 
hundred and two feet from the ground. The interior is deco- 
rated with flags from the Thirty Years' and other wars, and 
the shields of deceased knights of the Seraphim, the most 
exalted of the Swedish orders. The sepulchral chapels are 
on the sides, each having an open crypt beneath for the fami- 
lies of the kings. Three days of every week these vaults are 
illuminated with large candles, when the gaudy coffins, with 
their ribboned wreaths, are displayed in doleful brilliancy. 
Of all the many abodes of the dead we have visited not one 
presented so sensational a parade of trashy funereal pomp. 
The exhibition is a libel on the traditional good sense of the 
Swedish nation, and the wonder is that it should be continued, 
even though the profit at twenty-five ores (seven cents) for 
each person must be considerable. The objects of genuine 



SWEDEN. 451 

interest to the traveller are the massive sarcophagi in the 
chapels, which contain Sweden's most illustrious dead. Pre- 
eminent is that of the invincible Gustavus Adolphus, who led 
Protestant Europe against the famed Wallenstein, and died on 
the victorious field of Liitzen in 1632. Next, the impetuous 
young Charles XII., who humbled Denmark, but suffered 
defeat in daring an invasion where Peter the Great ruled as 
the mighty czar. Lastly, the founder of the present dynasty, 
who reigned in Sweden as Charles XIV., but previously 
fought under Napoleon as Marshal Bernadotte. 

The Slot, or royal palace, is among the largest in Europe, 
and a more effective site could not have been chosen. Its 
design is that of an immense quadrangle, with wings at each 
corner. The lowest story consists of granite, but in those 
above the material is brick, finished with rough-cast. Not- 
withstanding the magnitude of the pile and its superb pro- 
portions, the whole has a dingy aspect, and the interior is a 
disappointment. The staircases are generally of wood, painted 
in imitation of marble ; and out of more than five hundred 
rooms but few are of notable size and decoration. The ex- 
ceptions are the throne room, royal chapel, and state apart- 
ments, which are profusely adorned and supplied with works 
of art. Adjoining the palace is the Church of St. Nicholas, 
in which the sovereigns are crowned; and near by, on the 
Helgeandsholm, or Island of the Holy Ghost, are the royal 
stables, containing nearly one hundred and fifty horses and 
several ponderous state-coaches. 

The elegant new edifice of the National Museum also stands 
in the central quarter facing on the Norr Strom, as already 
mentioned. Particularly the facade of this structure is worthy 
of admiration, as well as the rich marble staircase. The cata- 
logue embraces galleries devoted to paintings, armor, en- 
gravings, regalia and historical costumes, bronzes, ancient and 
mediaeval antiquities, ceramics, coins and medals, statuary, and 



452 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

plaster casts of classical sculpture. The masterpieces among 
the marbles are Bystrom's " Juno and Hercules," Fogelberg's 
"Yenus and Apollo," Sergei's "Amor and Psyche," and the 
antique " Sleeping Endymion," which was found in Adrian's 
Villa, adjacent to Tivoli, near Eome. The modern paint- 
ings by Scandinavian artists are not a Palais du Luxem- 
bourg collection, but a few by Tiedemand, Dahl, Kronberg, 
Amalia Lindegren, and others are not to be slighted. Kron- 
berg is specially distinguished by his bold conceptions of 
"Spring" and a "Sleeping Wood Nymph with Fauns." A 
daring use of color and effective figures combine to render these 
studies both brilliant and striking. Kronberg is but twenty- 
nine years of age, yet his fame is established at home, if not 
abroad. 

An excursion to the old Swedish capital of Upsala is not 
without its recompense. The town is situated about forty 
miles northwest of Stockholm, and is reached by rail in two 
hours. Although Upsala has been shorn of its political 
honors, it still continues to be the seat of the primate of the 
Church of Sweden, as well as of the old university. The 
Gothic cathedral forms the principal attraction for travellers, 
but in the process of reconstruction since a fire in 1702 much 
that was interesting in the original edifice has disappeared, as 
a picture of the old Domkyrka proves. Within its chapels 
are the remains of Linnaeus, the great Swedish naturalist, and 
the heroic Gustavus Wasa, under whose leadership Sweden 
was delivered from the Danes early in the sixteenth century. 
Three miles north of the town, at Old Upsala, are the three 
huge mounds which tradition declares to be the graves of the 
god Odin, his son Thor, and the goddess Freya; but the pagan 
Eddas have given place to the Bible, and the supreme All- 
Father and his eight-footed steed Sleipner have vanished 
forever. 

If the proper season be chosen, late in June, the midnight 



SWEDEN. 453 

sun may be seen by making the voyage from Stockholm, up 
the Gulf of Bothnia, to Haparanda, in Lapland, and thence 
by carriage to Avasaxa, forty miles farther north, which is 
within the Arctic Circle. Compared with the hardships and 
duration of a similar expedition along the Norwegian coast, 
this route is greatly to be preferred, as the round trip may be 
accomplished in less than two weeks, and the steamers are 
furnished with modern appointments. Much of the scenery 
among the coastal islands is highly picturesque or even wild, 
and the stoppages afford an opportunity to see the leading 
towns, such as Gefle, Sundsvall, Umea, and Lulea. 

The most direct route from Stockholm to St. Petersburg 
is across the Baltic, a voyage of four days, including the de- 
lays caused by calling at the usual ports. Upon leaving 
Stockholm the steamer passes the fqrtress of Waxholm, and 
heads for the Aland Isles. Thence, crossing the Gulf of 
Bothnia, the first stop is made at Abo, the old capital of 
Finland, where the railway to St. Petersburg may be taken, 
if it should be desired to gain time. Pursuing the voyage 
from Abo, and touching at Hango, the course is amid innu- 
merable islands, until Helsingfors is reached. This strongly 
fortified town is the present capital of the grand duchy of 
Finland, and the seat of a university, which was founded at 
Abo, in 1640, by the Empress Christina. The steamer pro- 
ceeds up the Gulf of Finland to Wiborg, where the principal 
attraction is a nobleman's park, called " Mon Repos," and 
then continues to Cronstadt, the port of St. Petersburg and 
the impregnable gate of the Neva. Soon after entering the 
river, a vision of oriental splendor, of golden domes and 
arrowy spires and noble buildings, proclaims the end of the 
voyage, the City of the White Czar. 

Although the above route from Stockholm to St. Petersburg 
is almost invariably adopted by travellers, we decided to make 
Berlin the starting-point for the czar's dominions, which would 



454 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

enable us to traverse more of the country about the Baltic, 
in Sweden, Germany, and Russia. In accordance with this 
plan we directed our course southward from Stockholm to 
Malmo, on the Sound opposite Copenhagen, whence a steamer 
sails nightly for Stralsund. 

Upon leaving Stockholm by the evening train, General 
Goshorn invited us to join his party of three in a special car 
placed at his disposal, as he was likewise bound for Berlin. 
The distinguished traveller was escorted to the station by a 
group of his entertainers, and the two ladies were the recipi- 
ents of a score of floral offerings. All night long the train 
pursued its moderate pace, passing in succession Sodertelge, 
Cathrineholm, Norrkoping, Linkoping, and Nassjo, before 
breakfast came at Alvesta. Sodertelge has already been ad- 
verted to in connection with the Gotha Canal voyage, and 
Cathrineholm is noticeable only because of its position as the 
junction station for Christiania or Gothenburg. Norrk oping, in 
consequence of repeated fires, is now a modern sea-port town, 
devoted to manufactures and ship-building. Linkoping is noted 
for its large Gothic cathedral, the second in size in Sweden, 
and of Nassjo there is nothing to remark except that lines 
here diverge to the east and the west. Thence southward the 
country became flatter, but more fertile and better cultivated. 
Late in the morning we reached Lund, the seat of the second 
university of Sweden, and soon after noon the journey ended 
at Mai mo. There Mr. A. B. Munter, director of the railroad 
and steamship works, was in waiting to receive his guests, and 
quarters were taken for dinner and rest. Mai mo is an active 
commercial city of thirty-five thousand people, and with a 
good harbor. In the evening Mr. Munter arranged a visit 
to the Stad-Hamburg Gardens, where the orchestra per- 
formed " Hail Columbia," in recognition of the presence of 
the Centennial chief. Then followed the Swedish sexa, or 
supper, of an endless variety of cold viands, as a further token 



SWEDEN. 455 

of Mr. Miinter's hospitality. At a late hour we boarded the 
German steamer Oscar, and shortly after midnight the voyage 
across the Baltic commenced. 

When we awoke in the morning the sea was suffering an 
angry visitation from .iEolus, but unpleasant results were 
avoided by remaining in the berths until the Oscar passed 
between the island of Riigen and the mainland of Mecklen- 
burg-Schwerin of Germany. Within an hour after our late 
breakfast we landed at Stralsund, the invincible fortress which 
Wallenstein vowed to take, even " though it were bound by 
chains to heaven/' but reaped failure as the harvest of his 
sacrilege. While driving through the town to the railroad 
station we passed three brick churches of Gothic style, which 
seemed almost of sufficient capacity to contain the entire popu- 
lation of nearly thirty thousand. A train for Berlin left 
before noon, and followed the splendid new railway through 
New Brandenburg and New Strelitz, upon which the stations, 
road, management, and all other appointments, are of a model 
character. Late in the afternoon we arrived at the German 
capital, where General Goshorn had arranged to join Hon. 
D. J. Morrell and his party, which was duly effected. 



CHAPTEK XXVII. 

BERLIN AND POTSDAM. 

When the traveller ascends the lofty Monument of Victory 
to obtain an idea of the topography of Berlin, he discovers 
that the city is built upon a monotonous, sandy plain, and inter- 
sected by the little river Spree. The country in the vicinity 
bears evidences of assiduous cultivation, but the ground lacks 
fertility, and so flat is the surface that the current of the 
Spree is scarcely perceptible. The city itself, with the excep- 
tion of a limited portion, is eminently modern and even hand- 
some; the houses in the newer quarters are stately, and the 
streets broad and regular. Unter den Linden, the Avenue 
des Champs Elys6es, is a splendid boulevard with double rows 
of linden and chestnut trees, but its entire length from the 
Brandenburg Gate to the royal palace is less than a mile. 
The buildings are generally of brick, covered with stucco 
lined to imitate blocks of stone. Shops are not wanting in 
numbers, but they display few of the specialties and little of 
that tempting originality which are so seductive in the estab- 
lishments of Paris, Vienna, and London. 

The gates, monuments, and groups distributed about the 
city form a conspicuous feature in the ornamentation of the 
streets, and several of them are of an artistic and costly char- 
acter. The superb Brandenburg Gate, which stands at the 
western terminus of the Linden, is a massive structure about 
seventy feet in height and two hundred in width, built after 
the design of the Doric Propylsea of the Athenian Acropolis, 
456 



BERLIN AND POTSDAM. 457 

and surmounted by Schadow's copper group of Victory in a 
chariot drawn by four horses and carrying the Prussian eagle. 
At the eastern end of the Linden is Rauch's famous equestrian 
monument in bronze of Frederick the Great, and one of the 
bridges near the royal palace bears a like statue of the Great 
Elector (Frederick William, 1640-1688), executed early in 
the eighteenth century. The Column of Peace, which adorns 
the Belle- Alliance-Platz, is an imposing granite shaft nearly 
two hundred feet high and topped with Rauch's "Victory." 
Four marble groups at the base represent the leading allied 
powers, the whole being commemorative of the peace of 1815. 
Just beyond the Neue Thor, or New Gate, in the park of the 
Invalidenhaus, or military hospital, the Warrior's Monument 
rises to a height of about one hundred and forty feet. It con- 
sists of an iron column of the Corinthian order, surmounted 
by the Prussian eagle, and inscribed as a memorial of the 
soldiers who died in the revolution of 1848-49. The new 
equestrian statue of Frederick William III., by Wolff, the 
marble figure of Schiller, by Begas, and that of Baron von 
Stein, the great Prussian chancellor of Napoleonic times, are 
also w T orthy of note. Besides those already enumerated, on 
the Opern-Platz there are five smaller statues of eminent 
Germans, including one of Blucher, all by Rauch ; and the 
Schloss-Brucke, or palace bridge, is decorated with eight 
marble groups of two figures each, allegorical of the life and 
death of a soldier. The largest, showiest, and newest, though 
not the most artistic, of the Berlin monuments is that dedi- 
cated to Victory, on the Konigs-Platz, beyond the Branden- 
burg Gate. Imposed upon a square pedestal, which has bronze 
reliefs illustrating battles of the late wars with Denmark, Aus- 
tria, and France, is a circular hall of glory surrounded by 
Doric columns of granite, and pictorial mosaics relating to the 
struggle with France and the establishment of the German 
Empire. The roof of this hall forms the base for a lofty 

30 



458 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

fluted column of sandstone, studded at intervals with captured 
cannon, and having a group of eagles for the capital. A 
figure of Victory, as Borussia, crowns the summit, giving the 
work a total height of about two hundred feet. 

The three leading palaces of Berlin, those occupied by the 
emperor, the crown prince, and Prince Frederick Charles, are 
typical of a hundred others in Europe, — a monotony of apart- 
ments, large and small, lavish with gorgeous furniture and 
upholstery; rich with works of art and pictures glorifying 
the victories and sovereigns of the Fatherland; and provided 
with the usual gaudy and uninviting beds in which divers 
personages have reposed or died. An irritable and impatient 
servant of the household directs us to encase our shoes in the 
coarse woollen moccasons which constantly slip off, and then 
hurries us from room to room, surrounded and annoyed by 
twenty or thirty gaping peasants, while he repeats in German 
his mechanical enumeration of certain objects. When the un- 
satisfactory routine is completed, this obliging functionary 
grumbles if he receives less than a mark (twenty-five cents) 
from each traveller, but pockets with quiet disdain the few 
pfennigs (four equal one cent) timidly offered by the rustics. 

The theatres of Berlin are numerous, but, as usual in all 
cities in summer, we either found them closed or saw them at 
a disadvantage. The opera-house, which is devoted to the 
purpose implied by its name, was built in the reign of Fred- 
erick the Great (1740-1786), and has a seating capacity of 
somewhat less than two thousand. Next in size is the Schau- 
spielhaus, or royal theatre, a building of classical exterior, and 
reserved for the production of only the highest order of drama. 
Then follow the Wallner theatre, for comedies, the Victoria, 
adapted for both summer and winter, and others for vaude- 
villes, ballets, and variety entertainments. The most popular 
and attractive among the many garden resorts is KrolPs famous 
place, which faces the Konigs-Platz, on the margin of the 



BERLIN AND POTSDAM. 459 

Thiergarten. An open-air concert, accompanied with a glass 
of the national beverage, and the opera or play in the enclosed 
hall, are the standard amusements in which all classes par- 
ticipate. 

The Thiergarten, with its walks, drives, and cafes, also 
enters largely into the recreations of the people, who regard 
it as one of the finest parks of Europe. Commencing at the 
Brandenburg Gate, it extends westward for a distance of about 
two miles, and with an average width of less than one mile. 
Although originally a part of the unfertile, sandy plain, neither 
labor nor expense has been spared to convert the grounds into 
a modern park, and in doing so forests of umbrageous limes, 
elms, and firs were planted, the lakes beautified, villas erected, 
and the whole richly gardened. During the season the caf6s 
about the lakes and fringing the Spree present a picture of life 
and variety, and along the southern limits the handsome villas 
of the wealthy citizens form a fitting boundary. Contiguous 
to the Thiergarten are the zoological garden and the hippo- 
drome, the former of which offers a delightful afternoon con- 
cert as an additional inducement to visit its extensive collection. 
About a mile to the west of the Thiergarten is the royal palace 
of Charlottenburg, which was built in the reign of King Fred- 
erick I. (1688-1713), and named after his wife, Sophia Char- 
lotte. The building is chiefly distinguished for its size, but 
the grounds are skilfully laid out, and form a charming retreat 
for the populace, especially on Sunday afternoon. Within 
these gardens, in a retired corner and amid a cluster of trees, 
is a small Doric mausoleum containing the remains and the 
celebrated recumbent monuments of Frederick William III. 
and his beloved consort, Louisa of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the 
parents of the present emperor of Germany. The figures are 
both by Rauch, and that of the wife, which is thought by 
many to be his masterpiece, is one of the most exquisite ex- 
amples of carving to be found in modern sculpture. The 



460 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

queen, despite the unhappiness which the great Napoleon 
mercilessly inflicted upon her, was one of the most beautiful 
women of her day, and her devotion to Prussia was recipro- 
cated by the people with an affection little short of worship. 
In the marble effigy she is represented lying upon her back, 
with the hands folded on the breast and the lower limbs 
partially crossed. The figure is modestly shrouded in drapery, 
superbly executed, and so sweet is the expression of repose 
upon the perfect features that the most intense admiration is 
excited. 

The churches of Berlin, including the cathedral which 
contains the tomb of the Great Elector and later members of 
royalty, are deficient in architectural or other grandeur ; and 
the hall of the Reichstag must be classed in the same category. 
The latter was hastily constructed in 1871, upon the establish- 
ment of the empire; but travellers often visit it when the 
legislative body is not in session to gratify a penchant to sit 
for a moment in the chairs occupied by Bismarck, Dr. Falk, 
and others. The new Rathhaus, or city hall, is a brick edifice 
of the Gothic style, with stained-glass windows and some rich 
interior decoration ; and the Arsenal is noticeable both for the 
commanding character of the building and its display of the 
trophies of war. 

The Royal Museum of Berlin is a genuine treasure-house, 
surpassed by few in Europe. Nothing in the city will com- 
pare with it in importance, at least so far as the traveller is 
concerned, and a description crowded into a few lines can give 
no satisfactory idea of the buildings and their contents. Facing 
on the Lustgarten (pleasure-garden), the structure designated 
as the Old Museum is approached by a flight of steps leading 
to an Ionic portico decorated with frescos executed by Peter 
Cornelius and his pupils; those on the left of the entrance 
forming a study in cosmogony, and the series on the right 
picturing the evolution of humanity. Front of the portico, 



BERLIN AND POTSDAM. 461 

on each side of the steps, are two familiar groups in bronze : 
the equestrian Amazon attacked by a tiger, by Kiss ; and 
Wolff's spirited conception of a horseman in combat with a 
lion. The interior is divided into several departments, com- 
prising classical sculpture, similar antiquities, coins, tapestries, 
and a large number of paintings by the old masters of every 
school. A remarkable feature of the last-named is the very 
complete representation of the primitive artists, extending 
from the Byzantine down to those preceding the Renaissance. 
The edifice known as the New Museum is located in the rear 
of the above, the two being connected by a passage across the 
intervening street. The style of the New Museum is Renais- 
sance, but with evidences of the usual local inclination for the 
Greek. Here, on the walls about the grand marble staircase, 
we find Kaulbach's six renowned frescos typifying as many 
eras in history, namely, "The Dispersion of the Races," 
"Hellenic Prosperity/' "Destruction of Jerusalem," "Battle 
of the Huns," "The Crusaders before Jerusalem," and "The 
Reformation." These great paintings are separated by em- 
blematic figures and portraits appropriate to each, and around 
the hall extends an elaborate and complicated frieze illustrating 
the progress of man. The various saloons are each designed 
in architectural harmony with its contents, and among them 
the Grecian, Assyrian, and Egyptian courts are especially 
noticeable. The entire collection embraces plaster casts, both 
• sculptural and structural; Northern antiquities, in rooms 
adorned with mural paintings relating to Scandinavian my- 
thology; a wealth of engravings, said to number five hundred 
thousand; an ethnographic display, consisting of costumes, 
models of houses, and arms ; and the noted Egyptian museum, 
enriched by the labors and genius of Lepsius. 

The Raczynski, Ravene, and other private art collections of 
Berlin are generally neglected for the want of time; but the 
new National Gallery, which is close to the Royal Museum, 



462 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

secures more attention because of its position as the depository 
of the familiar masterpieces of contemporary German artists. 
The eminence attained by the modern school of Germany is 
duetto the men whose works form the catalogue of this insti- 
tution, including such names as Camphausen, Lessing, Corne- 
lius, Schrader, Achenbach, Schinkel, Hildebrandt, and Meyer 
von Bremen. 

The morning selected for our excursion to Potsdam hap- 
pened to be a holiday, which proved rather unfortunate, as 
everywhere we were crowded by the peasantry in their eager- 
ness to benefit by the attentions bestowed upon paying trav- 
ellers. When the respective parties of General Goshorn and 
Mr. Morrell assembled at the bahnhof (railway station), we 
numbered nearly enough to fill two compartments; but, lack- 
ing one or two in each, we were compelled to admit the inevi- 
table intruder, who immediately prepared to light his pipe, 
regardless of the presence of the ladies, and only desisted upon 
the request of one of the gentlemen. The trip from the 
capital occupies rather more than half an hour, the distance 
being about sixteen miles. Potsdam first became the residence 
of royalty in the time of the Great Elector, but it owes its 
present importance to Frederick the Great, who built the 
New Palace and the famous Sans Souci. The town is located 
on an island in the river Havel, and environed with lakes and 
wooded heights, thus forming a marked contrast with the 
topography of Berlin. Not far from the station is the first 
of the several palaces, a homely structure with nothing of 
interest except a suite of simple apartments which remain as 
they were left by Frederick the Great. A dining-table in 
one of these rooms is arranged to descend like a dumb-waiter, 
to obviate the presence of servants when the wily king wished 
to discuss business with his guests. The remains of the illus- 
trious monarch rest beside those of his father, Frederick 
William I., in a vault under the pulpit of the Garrison 



BERLIN AND POTSDAM. 463 

Church, within the town. His metal coffin is perfectly plain, 
and bears no inscription whatever. 

The palaces and minor objects, upon which the celebrity of 
Potsdam chiefly depends, are distributed in an extensive park 
beyond the town. The first to be reached on the drive is 
Sans Souci, the favorite residence of Frederick the Great, and 
the scene of his death. Located on an eminence, it overlooks 
a superb terraced garden ornamented with statuary and an 
elaborate fountain which throws one jet of water to a height 
of more than a hundred feet. The palace is an unpretentious 
building, of one story, adorned with a semicircular colonnade 
in the rear. Frederick's apartments are extremely simple, 
and only slight alterations have been made in the disposition 
of the furniture. A library of French books, his writing- 
desk and its implements, and the blood-stained chair in which 
he breathed his last, vividly recall the man who astonished 
all Europe with his feats of generalship. Voltaire's room 
illustrates the satirical humor of the king, as well as the 
anomalous friendship which existed between two extraordi- 
nary men. The walls are decorated with flowers and garlands 
roughly carved in wood, and interspersed with parrots of the 
same material, while the whole is painted in gaudy colors. 

A short distance west of Sans Souci is the Orangery, an 
extensive palatial structure lately completed and well supplied 
with objects of art, including a gallery devoted to copies of 
the works of Raphael. Farther away from the town, at the 
end of a majestic avenue bordered with trees, stands the New 
Palace, which Frederick the Great erected, at an enormous 
cost, after the close of the Seven Years' War, to prove that 
his resources were not exhausted. Comprised among the two 
hundred apartments, many of which are lavishly ornamented, 
are a theatre, a ball-room, a saloon entirely of marble, and the 
extravagant Shell Grotto. The walls and ceiling of the last 
are covered with rare shells, minerals, and precious stones 



464 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

arranged in designs, and at intervals around the floor are 
fountains garnished with the same materials. Even the 
chandelier and candelabras harmonize with the rest, giving 
the whole a curious effect. A portion of this great pile is 
now utilized as the summer residence of the crown prince and 
his family. 

Near the New Palace is a small temple containing another 
recumbent statue of Queen Louisa, which Rauch is said to have 
executed to overcome some slight criticism by her royal hus- 
band regarding the one at Charlottenburg. Southward from 
this vicinity is the villa of Charlottenhof, and in a different 
direction the Marble Palace and an unfinished building on 
the Pfingstberg. Elsewhere are scattered fountains, grottos, 
statuary, exotics, and the smaller structures which unite to 
beautify Potsdam. And yet, with all this array of magnifi- 
cence, it remains to be told that the Emperor Yfilliam retains 
as a summer refuge his own picturesque and elegant little 
Gothic palace of Babelsberg, about three miles from Potsdam 
and near the chateau of Prince Frederick Charles. 






CHAPTEK XXVIII. 

RUSSIA. 

When preparing to leave Berlin for St. Petersburg, a new 
experience greeted us in the necessity of having our passports 
vised. Occasionally in our travels we had been asked to pro- 
duce them for inspection, but the reverse side of the papers had 
always remained a virgin page. Under the regulations of the 
Muscovite government it now became imperative to have them 
endorsed "Good for Russia," and signed by both the United 
States minister and the czar's ambassador. Having provided 
ourselves with all the requisites for the journey, including a 
supply of rubles for immediate use after crossing the frontier, 
we parted from our distinguished friends with much regret, 
and took places in the morning train. The distance from 
Berlin to St. Petersburg by the Konigsberg route is rather 
more than a thousand miles, and the time consumed about 
thirty-six hours. Both the German and Russian "wagons" 
are arranged with seats convertible into lounges, but the 
shivering repose thus afforded, and the lack of appliances for 
a morning toilet, serve to remind an American of the comforts 
of home-travel, where even the wild Sierras of the far West 
have yielded thoroughfare to the luxurious "silver palace car." 

Leaving the Ostbahnhof, or Eastern Station, the train pro- 
ceeds in an easterly direction, for fifty miles or more, over a 
monotonous, level country, with no towns deserving of notice 
before reaching the fortress of Kiistrin. There Frederick the 
Great was imprisoned in his youthful days for an attempted 

465 



466 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

flight to the court of his uncle, George II., of England, to 
escape the brutality of his father. His companion in the 
affair, a lieutenant of the army, was executed for desertion, 
and the enraged king would have condemned the prince to a 
like fate had not foreign powers interceded for his life. 
Thence, almost following the river Warthe and afterward its 
branch, the Netze, and passing the junctions at Kreuz and 
Schneidemuhl, the course is through Nakel to Bromberg. 
The latter two places are connected by a canal which joins the 
waters of the Oder and the Vistula through their respective 
tributaries. From Bromberg the line diverges to the north, 
and continues almost parallel with the Vistula for about eighty 
miles to Dirschau, where the river is crossed by a bridge 
nearly half a mile long. Having had an early dinner at 
Kreuz, we lunched at Dirschau, which is the junction for 
Dantzic, and returned to the compartment gratified to find 
ourselves relieved of the companionship of two incessant, 
noisy talkers. 

Upon resuming the journey, the train enters a district of 
fertile lowlands, and soon approaches the old town of Marien- 
burg, which was distinguished in the middle ages as the seat 
of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary of Jerusalem. The im- 
posing castle of the grand masters yet remains, the finest por- 
tions having been restored early in the present century. This 
celebrated military order was instituted in 1191 to relieve the 
sufferings of the Crusaders at the siege of Acre, but about 
1231, some time after their return from the Holy Land, the 
knights undertook, with the approval of the pope, to establish 
Christianity in the countries on the southern shores of the 
Baltic, — a task they ultimately accomplished by almost exter- 
minating the heathen population. These conquests in the name 
of religion raised the order to the dignity of a sovereign power, 
with Marienburg as the capital; and prosperity attended it 
until the fifteenth century. Then came the usual internal 



Russia. 467 

dissensions, the heralds of decline, followed by disastrous 
foreign, wars. Poland succeeded in wresting; West Prussia 
from the knights, and the remainder of their territory was 
formed into the duchy of East Prussia, to be held by Branden- 
burg as a fief of Poland. The historical importance of the 
order ceases with the rise of Prussia as an independent state 
in the seventeenth century, although it retained certain pre- 
rogatives and revenues until 1809, when Napoleon decreed 
their extinction. The order still survives in Austria, but its 
existence is only nominal. 

Beyond Marienburg the railway winds around the Gulf of 
Dantzic, an arm of the Baltic, to Konigsberg, touching on the 
route at the town of Elbing and passing within a few miles of 
Frauenburg, where Copernicus died, in 1543, as a canon of the 
old Gothic cathedral. Konigsberg ranks as the fourth in popu- 
lation among Prussian cities, and one of the strongest as a fort- 
ress. The city owes its origin to the Teutonic knights, who 
selected it as the residence of their grand master after the loss 
of Marienburg. Later, it became the capital of the dukes of 
Prussia ; and the first king of the realm, as well as the present 
monarch, was crowned in the church attached to the palace 
founded by the decayed order. Konigsberg has produced sev- 
eral eminent scholars, including the great metaphysician, Im- 
manuel Kant (1724-1804), and the gifted theologian, Johann 
von Herder (1744-1803), both of whom were students in the 
existing university. In addition to this seat of learning, the 
city contains the modern observatory established by Professor 
Bessel (1784-1846), which has become famous for its contribu- 
tions to astronomy. 

Goods of amber are a specialty of the Konigsberg shops, as 
the finest quality of that substance is found in greater abun- 
dance along the shores of the Baltic, north and west of the 
city, than in any other locality. The supply from this source 
has continued for several centuries, and, although Konigsberg 



468 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

formerly traded in it more extensively than at present, it yet 
forms a considerable item of export, mainly to the Levant, 
where it is largely used for the mouth-pieces of pipes and 
cigarette-holders. The amber is obtained by gathering in nets 
the masses of sea-weed to which it clings, or by digging on the 
coast. Divers are sometimes employed in the work, and the 
yield is greatest after a storm or high winds, particularly if 
from the north. The pieces vary in weight from half an ounce 
to a few pounds, and the opaque, creamy specimens are re- 
garded as the choicest. 

After leaving Konigsberg, the course of the railway is 
almost due east to the boundary of Russian Poland, passing 
about midway the manufacturing town of Insterberg. We 
reached Eydtkuhnen, the last German station, about one 
o'clock in the morning, and, after a brief delay, the train 
crossed the frontier to Wierzbolow, on the Russian side. 
Here a porter opened the door of our carriage and made a 
hurried announcement in a strange tongue, which Ave instinct- 
ively translated as a notice to undergo the usual customs in- 
spection. Upon entering the designated building our luggage 
received a trifling examination, but the passports were submitted 
to a careful scrutiny, accompanied by a few questions addressed 
to us in good English, and then stamped. When these for- 
malities were concluded, ample time was allowed for a needed 
lunch, and about two o'clock we were politely escorted to a 
compartment in the Russian train, which consisted of two 
cars, one first and one second-class. As the time approached 
for starting, the employes chattered vigorously, bells were 
rung, the conductor and the engine each whistled twice, when 
at length the signals were completed by a parting blast from 
the locomotive, and the journey commenced. 

The night was bright moonlight; but "the fair land of 
Poland," over which we were steaming, offered little induce- 
ment in comparison with a hope of sleep. When we awoke 



bussia. 4g9 

in the morning the train had already traversed the pan-handle 
of Poland, and entered Russia proper at Kowno, the town 
which witnessed the triumphant passage of the Niemen by 
Napoleon's superb legions, on the 23d of June, 1812, and 
again on the 13th of December of the same year, when the 
remnants of the Grand Army returned from Moscow defeated, 
disorganized, and decimated by cold and hunger. The Russian 
inscription on a commemorative monument in the market- 
place thus epitomizes the fatal campaign : 

"In 1812 Russia was invaded by an army numbering 
700,000 men. The army recrossed the frontier numbering 
70,000." 

About ten in the morning we halted at a buffet station for 
breakfast, where, for the first time, we drank coffee from 
tumblers, according to the Muscovite custom. These places 
of refreshment are frequent on all the railways of the realm, 
and generally they offer a fair variety at reasonable prices. 
Often, when the viands were inviting, a slight lunch served 
to relieve the tedium of the protracted stoppages incidental to 
Russian travel. The trains seldom remain less than ten 
minutes at a station, and at towns of only moderate size the 
delay not unfrequently amounts to twenty or thirty minutes. 
The lines are single-track roads, well laid, carefully inspected, 
and in perfect order. A limited rate of speed and staunch 
cars insure easy riding, and first-class passengers are rarely 
troubled by crowding. 

Next of importance on the route is Wilna, once the capital 
of the duchy of Lithuania, and now a city of sixty or seventy 
thousand inhabitants. Wilna, as a part of Lithuania, became 
allied to Poland by a royal marriage in 1386, and two cen- 
turies later the union was made absolute. The city continued 
to be Polish until the Third Partition, in 1795, when it was 
absorbed by Russia and deprived of its political privileges, — 
a wrong which the oppressed people have vainly endeavored to 



470 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

redress by revolution. Paganism maintained its supremacy at 
Wilna until the fourteenth century, but now the numerous 
Pusso-Greek churches proclaim the ascendency of that faith. 
Here Napoleon deserted his army on the retreat from Moscow, 
and hurried back to Paris, leaving his troops to die in the 
hospitals by thousands or to perish in their attempts to con- 
tinue the march. 

Before noon we reached Dunaburg, a fortified town com- 
posed of low wooden houses, and engaged in shipping flax, 
hemp, and timber. Thence northward the country is flat and 
marked with forests of birch and pine ; cultivation is sparse in 
many places, and the wretched hamlets of frame shanties form 
a striking contrast with the thrifty stone villages beyond the 
frontier in Germany. Where occasionally a field was tilled 
the grain appeared to be full, and in the process of har- 
vesting we admired the nicety with which the sheaves were 
bound and stacked. Women share with the men the labors 
of farming, but the same custom prevails almost everywhere 
in Europe. 

No place of interest intervenes between Dunaburg and 
Ostrov, a distance of one hundred and thirty miles, and even 
the latter has nothing to arrest the attention except the towers 
of a mediaeval fort. Thirty miles farther on is Pskov, which 
was anciently an independent republic, and a member of the 
Hanseatic League in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. 
After many vicissitudes the free city was conquered by Ivan 
the Terrible, in 1510, who annexed it to the grand duchy of 
Moscow. The Kremlin, or citadel within the town, contains 
the large Cathedral of the Trinity, believed to have been 
founded by St. Olga in the tenth century, but since repeatedly 
destroyed. During a siege by Stephen Bathori, king of 
Poland, in 1581, it was saved by displaying a miraculous 
picture of the Virgin, a legend not unlike several others ac- 
cepted by the superstitious populace. St. Olga, who is highly 



RUSSIA. 471 

venerated in Russia, was the wife and successor of a duke of 
Kiev and the grandmother of Vladimir the Great, another 
canonized monarch. She was converted to Christianity at 
Constantinople about the year 952, and afterward devoted 
her life to the propagation of her new faith. 

During the afternoon we traversed a section of nearly one 
hundred and fifty miles, varied only by a succession of buffet 
stations, and shortly after nightfall we passed the imperial 
residence of Gatchina, where the Emperor Paul (1796-1801) 
assembled the Knights of Malta, or Order of St. John of 
Jerusalem, when he became grand master, after their expul- 
sion from Malta. Gatchina is less than thirty miles from St. 
Petersburg, and great was our delight when, at half-past ten, 
the train rolled into the Warsaw station. An omnibus drove 
us to the hotel, where our passports were required and taken 
to the department of police for registration. 

St. Petersburg, or Petersburg, as generally called by the 
Russians on account of its founder, is in every respect a 
modern city. When the eighteenth century dawned its site 
was a vast, spongy morass, saturated with the waters of the 
river Neva, and inhabited only by a few Finlanders engaged 
in fishing. It was sufficient for Peter the Great to see that 
the locality commanded the entrance to Lake Lagoda, the 
largest in Europe, and afforded an outlet to the Baltic, advan- 
tages he had coveted, to determine him to wrest it from 
Sweden and rear thereon the future capital of his great 
empire. The territory was duly conquered, and in 1703 the 
foundations of the city were commenced by a host of peasants 
summoned from every direction and replenished by an annual 
levy of forty thousand men. Peter superintended the work 
in person, and the cottage he occupied during these years has 
been preserved by enclosing it within another structure. 
Myriads of piles were driven at an enormous expense; the 
nobles and merchants were commanded to erect dwellings; 



472 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the construction of stone buildings elsewhere in the realm was 
prohibited ; and every incoming vessel and cart was required 
to bring a quantity of stone. Among the army of laborers 
more than a hundred thousand perished from cold, exposure, 
and lack of food; but still the undertaking was prosecuted 
with merciless energy, until at length an imposing city rose 
upon the marshes. Subsequent sovereigns continued the en- 
terprise with more or less vigor, and especially to Catherine 
the Great the capital is indebted for much of its embellish- 
ment. She lined the Neva with quays of granite; induced 
various denominations to build churches by donating the 
ground ; persuaded the nobility to add many residences ; and 
created the Hermitage, the Great Theatre, a cathedral, and 
several palaces. 

St. Petersburg has repeatedly suffered from inundations, 
the lowness of the ground rendering it impossible to avert 
effectually the inroads of the Neva. When danger from this 
source is apprehended, alarm guns are fired to warn the 
people and notify the authorities to be in readiness with the 
boats provided for the purpose. Occasionally, as in the 
calamity of 1824, the river rises to such a height as to flood 
the entire city and cause a shocking destruction of life and 
property. This peculiar topography is easily understood by a 
view from the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The Neva, as 
it approaches the Gulf of Finland, divides into several 
branches, forming a peninsula and a group of islands upon 
which, in the midst of the waters, the city rests with uncer- 
tain tenure. Three floating bridges and two handsome struc- 
tures of stone and iron connect the islands with the main-land, 
and many others span the five canals of the peninsula, the 
largest and finest section. In the latter the Admiralty, an 
immense brick pile standing on the bank of the river, forms 
the centre from which radiate the three great avenues of the 
city: Nevski Prospekt (Neva Perspective), Gorokhovaia 



Russia. 473 

Oulitza (Peas Street), and Yosnesenski Prospekt (Ascension 
Perspective). 

The most splendid of these arteries is the Nevski Prospekt, 
the Broadway of St. Petersburg, which may be said to consti- 
tute a compendium of the capital. Commencing at the Ad- 
miralty Square and extending to the monastery of St. Alexander 
Nevski, a length of three miles, this thoroughfare embraces in 
succession the palaces of the aristocracy, the churches of the 
various sects, the best of the shops, the houses of the middle 
classes, the mart for second-hand goods, the suburb of the 
poor, and, lastly, the abode of the distinguished dead, within 
the enclosure of the monastery. The street itself is broad and 
paved with wood, a horse railway occupies the middle, and the 
sidewalks, which have considerable width, are of stone or 
asphalt. The buildings in the most animated section are of 
brick faced with stucco, four and five stories high, and often 
much ornamented with colonnades, porches, balconies, and 
cornices. In the fashionable shops the displays are lavish and 
elegant, but high prices rule with the vigor of a Bond Street. 
The specialties are expensive furs, ornaments of malachite, 
lapis lazuli, and amber, objects of bronze, and silver-ware 
skilfully wrought in shapes both useful and decorative. 
Nearly a mile from the Admiralty, on this avenue, is the 
Palais Royal of St. Petersburg, the Gostinoi Dvor, or great 
bazaar, a vast square building of two floors, with extensive 
adjoining markets which alone aggregate fifteen hundred feet 
square. The former is devoted to dealers in the finer goods 
of every description, and the latter to tradesmen of the inferior 
kind, including vendors of provisions, dried fruits, poultry, 
sacred images, wedding trumpery, second-hand articles, per- 
fumes, hay, wood, sweetmeats, and tea. 

Next, the people and moving things must be filled in to 
complete the panorama of the Nevski Prospekt. The throng 
is greatest from noon until three o'clock, and the northern side 

31 



474 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

is the favorite, because the warmth of the sun is desirable nine 
months of the year. First to attract attention among the 
promenaders is the military element, as the garrison of St. 
Petersburg, in conjunction with that of the naval station at 
Cronstadt, is never less than seventy-five thousand men. Both 
officers and privates are required to wear full uniform in public, 
and the former are almost invariably decorated with crosses and 
stars, especially if they be of the Imperial Guard. Officers of 
every grade in the civil service are likewise uniformed, as well 
as the teachers and pupils of the public schools, and the servants 
of the nobility belong in the same category. Ladies are not 
so numerous on the street as the men, and those of the aris- 
tocracy rarely walk any distance. Most of them are blondes, 
like the Swedes and Norwegians, and their dress partakes of 
Parisian fashions. We also see German ladies from the Baltic 
provinces, the wives of tradesmen ; others of the gayest French 
mould ; and at times a woman in the native costume of the 
interior. Conspicuous among the national types is the mujik, 
which is a general name for a peasant or former serf, a porter 
or an itinerant vendor, a man of all work, — the class so ap- 
propriately designated by their own guttural language as " the 
dirty people." The garb of the mujik is a red shirt, wide 
trousers, and a tunic of greasy sheepskin with the wool turned 
inward. His hair and beard are worn shaggy, and a decided 
odor of strong drink attends his presence. Then the Greek 
monk, the Eomish priest, the mounted Cossack, the Tartar 
guard, the slender Pole, and the ubiquitous Jew, robed in his 
silk caftan, are also to be distinguished in the medley of hu- 
manity on this great thoroughfare. 

Along the Nevski Prospekt, and elsewhere throughout the 
city, the open-air shrines of the Greek Church are distributed 
at short intervals, and rarely are they seen without a group of 
prostrate devotees. Each contains a jewelled picture of the 
Virgin and the ever-burning lamp, before which the people 



Russia. 475 

place lighted candles in a stand arranged for the purpose. 
The worshipper repeatedly crosses himself with three fingers, 
utters a monotone prayer, and touches his head to the ground. 
In the presence of a funeral, or when passing a church or 
shrine, the devout Russian invariably removes his hat and 
crosses himself, and even small children do the same. Pictures, 
mosaics, and other forms of surface representation abound in 
the Russo-Greek sanctuaries, but statues of metal, stone, or 
wood are forbidden as idolatrous. The Virgin is uniformly 
painted in the archaic Byzantine style, and with Hebrew 
features. Flame is regarded as emblematic of eternal life, and 
hence the practice of lighting candles is intended to remind 
man of his spiritual nature. The men in Russia are even 
more religious than the women, while in Roman Catholic 
countries the opposite is the case. 

The vehicles which crowd the roadway of the Nevski Pros- 
pekt are yet to be introduced into the ensemble of that avenue. 
All except the carts dash to and fro at almost reckless speed, 
such being the Russian habit of driving, permitted by the 
superb character of the horses for which St. Petersburg is 
noted. Blinds and whips are rejected, and instead of the 
latter the horse is urged by the voice or a slap upon his back 
with the reins. The douga, or hoop of bent wood arching 
above the animal's back, is used in single harness to prevent 
any pressure from the shafts and collar, as the two are directly 
attached, in the absence of traces. The check-line is fastened 
to the douga, as well as a hook to suspend the reins. A 
Russian invariably drives with both hands, and in the case of 
a span each horse is held with two reins, making four in all. 
The drivers, whether public or private, wear the national 
costume of their class, a long caftan, or tight-fitting robe of 
blue cloth, with a belt at the waist and a skirt reaching nearly 
to the feet. A low-crowned, bell-shaped hat with the brim 
turned up at the sides, clumsy boots, and bushy hair and 



476 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

beard, complete the exterior of these Jehus. Coupes, cab- 
riolets, and coaches of modern European patterns are not un- 
common, but the popular vehicle is the drosky, or drojky in 
Eussian, of which there are between fifteen and twenty thou- 
sand in St. Petersburg. 

The drosky is a diminutive carriage with four extremely low 
wheels and no top. The body, hung on four stiff "C" springs 
and swung with leather braces, has two narrow seats, the one 
for the owner or passenger barely accommodating two persons, 
and in some instances only one. Leather fenders extend out 
from each side above the wheels, and curve downward in the 
middle to form the step. The shafts are attached to the front 
axle, inside the wheels, and strengthened by a sort of trace 
stretching from the extremities of the axle, outside the hub, to 
the point where the thills are strapped to the donga and collar. 
Dark colors rule in painting and trimming the drosky, and 
lamps are never used. A course in one of these little traps 
costs from twenty to thirty copecks (about ten to sixteen 
cents *), according to the bargain ; but in addition to the fare 
the driver expects a little chai, or tea-money, which is the 
French pourboire, the English tip, or the Arabic baksheesh 
under another guise. With a few exceptions like the Nevski 
Prospekt, the streets of St. Petersburg are paved with the 
roughest of cobble-stones, and kept in wretched repair, — worse 
even than those of Philadelphia, — and as the drosky is not 
constructed to insure easy riding, a drive in one implies a 
thorough shaking. Finally, amid the concourse of vehicles 
on the Prospekt, we must note the rude wagons of burden 



* The standard silver ruble, equal to one hundred copecks, is worth 
about seventy-five cents ; but no coin is now in circulation in Kussia 
except copper and the debased silver pieces representing ten, fifteen, and 
twenty copecks. In drawing funds upon a letter of credit we estimated 
the paper ruble to cost about fifty- three cents, but this value changes with 
the premium on coin. 



Russia. 477 

called rospouskys, a primitive conveyance known as the long 
drosky, and a few omnibuses. In winter the sledge replaces 
the drosky, the carriages are set on runners, and the streets 
ring with the little bells of the troika, sl sleigh to carry four 
seated vis-a-vis, and drawn by three horses harnessed abreast. 
The surface of the Neva, frozen to the depth of a yard, be- 
comes a race-course, and the Lapps and Samoyeds encamp 
upon the ice to hire out their teams of reindeer. 

St. Petersburg wears its dullest aspect in the summer, when 
all who have the means leave the city to travel or to recreate 
on the islands of the Neva and along its banks. The English 
Quay, the winter afternoon promenade of the imperial family 
and the elite, and the palatial residences of the court along the 
southern shore of the Great Neva, are then deserted, and even 
the Nevski Prospekt suffers in animation. Late in the after- 
noon merchants and tradesmen crowd the small steamers run- 
ning to the various river resorts, and the wealthy people 
quartered in the suburbs drive to Yelagin Island, where the 
Point is the fashionable rendezvous, like the Cascade of the 
Bois de Boulogne. Here they await the gorgeous spectacle of 
the northern sunset, the fiery orb sinking into the glowing 
waters of the Gulf of Finland, garnished with a drapery of 
saffron and red and purple. Looking toward the east, or 
nearly so, as the last amber ray streams across the panorama, 
the majestic silhouette of the capital is outlined against the 
silvery background of the gloaming, blazoned with burnished 
crosses and golden domes and glittering spires, — a city of 
churches, of palaces, of imperial splendor. 

The greater part of the road which traverses the islands to 
the Point is bordered with villas and gardens, both grand and 
modest, while the northern bank of the Great Nevka, one of 
the arms of the Neva, is fringed with places of recreation. 
Isler's establishment for mineral waters ranks as the first 
among these retreats; but the national character is depicted 



478 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

in livelier colors at trie Livadia Gardens, where the amuse- 
ments comprise an open-air theatre, the Russian song, and the 
native dance. Like the Danes and Swedes, the people of St. 
Petersburg enjoy to the utmost the out-door pleasures of their 
brief summer, and our patriotic valet de place enlarged upon 
the subject with conscious pride. 

This same valet de plaee, an educated young man lately re- 
turned from a three years' residence in London, proved a 
valuable acquisition, and under his energetic guidance we 
became well acquainted with the city and its environs. Our 
first negotiations for his services closed without result, as he 
demanded a remuneration equal to a half more than the 
standard rates ; but his command of English and intelligent 
physiognomy fortunately prompted us to recede. In common 
with all humanity he had a predominating weakness, — in his 
case an inordinate admiration for the Neva, which he repeatedly 
declared to ba"much the finest river of the world/' But this 
national weakness for rivers is proverbial. The German, in an 
illustrated panorama of the Rhine, describes that stream as "by 
far the most interesting river of the world," while the Ameri- 
can seeks to impress the European with the majesty of the Mis- 
sissippi, and the rare, magical beauty of the distant Columbia. 
To expedite the work of sight-seeing, our young Petersburger 
engaged a French victoria drawn by a pair of jet black Kazan 
horses, whose manes reached down to their knees ; and with 
these, day after day, we dashed over the rough streets and 
suburban roads at a speed which threatened our safety. 
Elsewhere in Europe we had been annoyed by the dilatory 
pace of the carriages for hire, so that it was indeed anomalous 
to restrain the zeal of the driver. 

Among the many imposing edifices of St. Petersburg prob- 
ably none is so familiar to the outside world as the Winter 
Palace, the city residence of the emperor and his court. This 
great palace, doubtless the grandest in Europe, is built of brick, 



Russia. 479 

stuccoed to imitate brownstone, and measures seven hundred 
feet in length by four hundred and fifty in breadth. It was 
almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1837, but in two years a 
host of devoted artisans completed the work of restoration. 
This sumptuous establishment is said to contain six thousand 
inhabitants, a number largely composed of such parasites as 
the families of servants and other unbidden dependants. The 
interior is a labyrinth of magnificent rooms filled with gor- 
geous furniture, paintings, statuary, porcelain vases, and or- 
naments of malachite, lapis lazuli, and the rich stones of 
Finland. The most striking among the apartments are the 
Hall of St. George, where the emperor receives the diplomatic 
corps upon state occasions ; the gilded Drawing-room of the 
Empress, which is lighted by a myriad of candles; and the 
Salle Blanche, so named from its decorations of white, the 
scene of the court fetes. 

The crown jewels of Russia are deposited in a room on the 
third floor of the Winter Palace, where they are displayed in 
glass cases sealed with the signet of the czar. Here the cele- 
brated Orloff diamond, in the head of the imperial sceptre, at 
once arrests the attention. It acquired its name from Count 
Orloif, the favorite of Catherine the Great, who purchased it 
as a present for the empress. Nothing definite is known of 
the early history of this great stone, but the accepted version 
is that it once formed the eye of an idol in India, whence it 
was stolen by a French soldier and repeatedly sold before 
it was acquired by the Russian courtier. It weighs one 
hundred and ninety-five carats, and is valued at more than 
a million of dollars. The imperial crown is adorned with 
nearly fifty diamonds and forty pearls, all of extraordinary 
size and perfection, and the coronet of the czarina is a mass 
of sparkling gems. Then the orb, a variety of regalia, and 
the insignia of several orders are all studded with splendid 
jewels; and more surprising still is a quantity of lace made 



480 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of diamonds and pearls, which the empress wears at rare in- 
tervals. 

Adjoining the Winter Palace is the Hermitage, which the 
great Catherine founded as a retreat from the ceremony and 
cares of government. There her evenings were passed in 
social discourse with the talent of the age, and surrounded by 
all that could cultivate the taste, gratify the eye, and instruct 
the mind. After several additions at different periods, the 
Hermitage was reconstructed in the Greek style and greatly 
enlarged about the middle of the present century. Its dimen- 
sions are more than five hundred feet in length and nearly 
four hundred in breadth ; and few buildings in Europe sur- 
pass it in expensive materials and general elegance. This 
magnificent edifice is the Louvre of Russia, a museum with a 
wealth of art, relics, and precious rarities, that dazzles, satiates, 
and wearies the visitor. The collections comprise paintings 
of every school, a gallery of sculpture, Pompeiian, Crimean, 
and other antiquities, two hundred thousand numismatic speci- 
mens, relics of Peter the Great, a priceless array of cameos, 
presents to Russian sovereigns, two hundred thousand en- 
gravings, a library of works on art and archaeology, twelve 
thousand drawings by the great masters, and objects of por- 
phyry, syenite, lapis lazuli, malachite, jasper, aventurine, rho- 
donite, and the other mineral wealth of the Russian empire. 
If space permitted, a resume of the paintings would show the 
collection to be one of the most important in Europe. No 
gallery outside of Spain can rival the Hermitage in its cata- 
logue of Spanish pictures, there being, among others, twenty 
by Murillo and six by Velazquez. The more prolific Flemish 
masters are likewise fully represented ; and even the English 
school, so conspicuous in Continental museums by its absence, 
is here allotted a small apartment. Two rooms are also de- 
voted to the works of Russian artists, with the " Last Day of 
Pompeii," by Bruloff, as the masterpiece. 



RUSSIA. 481 

So numerous are the palaces and public buildings of St. 
Petersburg, exclusive of the churches, that to only a few can 
a passing mention be accorded. Properly the first in such an 
enumeration is the Admiralty, the department of the navy 
and its academy, an immense brick pile fronting the Neva, 
with a facade nearly half a mile in length, and over which 
rises an arrowy deaurate spire surmounted by a ship under full 
sail ; next the Hotel de l'£tat-Major, the foreign and cus- 
toms office, a structure of vast extent divided by an orna- 
mental archway wdiich bears a chariot of Victory with six 
horses and two grooms ; then the Michael Palace, — near the 
Summer Gardens, — now the School of Engineers, a granite 
castle erected by the Emperor Paul (1796-1801), and in which 
he was strangled by conspirators against his folly and tyranny ; 
also the Great Theatre, a temple reserved for Italian opera 
and grand ballets, which is said to seat three thousand spec- 
tators; the Monastery of St. Alexander Nevski, — if it may 
be so classed, — the seat of the metropolitan or archbishop, wdth 
its long-haired monks, untold treasures, and shrine of pure 
silver weighing over three thousand pounds ; the palatial 
Foundling Hospital, where nearly ten thousand infants are 
openly received without question each year; the Academy of 
Arts on the Vassili Ostrov, or Basil's Island, a large and 
stately edifice containing a varied collection of Russian and 
foreign art, which includes Gerome's oft-copied " Duel after 
the Masquerade," and Meissonier's " Smoker" ; the Imperial 
Public Library, a spacious building on the Nevski Prospekt, 
having upon its shelves more than a million volumes and 
twenty -five thousand manuscripts; the extensive Mining 
School, with an unrivalled collection of minerals, profusely 
displaying the rich array found within the Russian posses- 
sions; the Museum of Imperial Carriages, where the city 
and travelling equipages of the court, many gorgeous carriages 
of state, and a number of sledges are arranged in rooms hung 



482 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

with superb Gobelin and Russian tapestries. And so the list 
might be continued almost without limit. 

Several of the squares and gardens of St. Petersburg are 
ornamented with monuments which contribute materially to 
the general splendor of the city, and at least two of them have 
acquired a merited celebrity. One of these two, the Alexan- 
drian column, is the greatest monolith ever quarried in 
modern times, — a polished shaft of the red granite of Finland 
eighty-four feet long and fourteen in diameter at the base. 
Originally it had a length of one hundred and two feet, which 
was reduced because the diameter was deemed inadequate for 
complete safety. This stupendous shaft is imposed upon a 
massive pedestal and base of the same material, and sur- 
mounted by a carved angel holding a cross, making a total 
height of one hundred and fifty-five feet. The pedestal is 
faced with bronze pictorial reliefs, and bears the inscription: 
" To Alexander the First, Grateful Russia. 77 Standing close 
to the Neva is the second of the two great monuments, the 
famous colossal equestrian statue of Peter the Great, cast in 
bronze and erected to his memory by Catherine II. This 
spirited group, the work of a French artist named Falconet, 
represents the horse rampant upon the edge of a precipice and 
treading under foot a long serpent, an emblem of the igno- 
rance and barbarism which the mighty czar overcame in re- 
generating Russia. The rider faces the Neva and extends his 
hand toward the river, implying majesty and dominion. The 
pedestal consists of an immense rough-hewn mass of granite 
estimated to weigh fifteen hundred tons, which was transported 
with great labor from a neighboring Finnish village, where 
Peter is said to have stood upon it when he defeated the 
Swedes in a naval battle. Standing in the Nevski Prospekt 
is a fine bronze statue of Catherine the Great, with the figures 
of the leading personages of her reign in high relief around 
the pedestal, including the famous Prince Potemkin and Field- 



Russia. 483 

Marshal Souvaroff. Among others entitled to distinction is 
the equestrian monument of the Emperor Nicholas, with bas- 
reliefs illustrating the principal events of his life; and the 
same should be remarked of the statue of Barclay de Tolly, 
Napoleon's Russian opponent, and of the noted bronze horses 
on the Fontanka Bridge. 

Rising from a small island in the Neva is seen the glit- 
tering needle which distinguishes the Cathedral of St. Peter 
and St. Paul, the imperial sepulchre of Russia, located within 
the fortress of the same name. This noted spire, so pointed 
and slender, is surmounted by a globe upon which an angel 
stands grasping a large cross, the whole being sheathed in 
copper and overlaid with pure gold. The height to the top 
of the cross is variously stated to be from three hundred and 
fifty to three hundred and seventy-five feet, with probability 
in favor of the latter. In 1830 a Russian peasant who un- 
dertook to repair the angel on this spire strangely accom- 
plished the ascent with nothing to assist him except a rope 
and a nail. The line of sovereigns here interred commences 
with Peter the Great and extends down to the late Emperor 
Nicholas, with the single exception of Peter II. (1727-1730; 
.deposed), who lies at Moscow. Plain marble tombs, arranged 
in rows, mark the sites of the graves beneath the floor of the 
church ; and, in accordance with the oriental code of prece- 
dence, the most illustrious of the monarchs are placed at the 
corners, the positions of honor. The walls throughout the 
interior of the building are hung with tattered flags, keys of 
fortresses, and other trophies of war, but architectural grandeur 
and elegant decoration are entirely absent. Few of the 
sceptered dead of Europe repose in a mausoleum so devoid 
of pomp, and yet no kings live in greater splendor than the 
autocrats of Russia. 

Not far from the citadel, and encased in an outer structure, 
stands the wooden cottage in which Peter the Great lived 



484 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

during the founding of the city. In one of the three small 
apartments is a boat made by himself, and in another, now a 
chapel, is a jewelled picture of Christ, which attended Peter 
at the decisive victory of Poltava (June 27, 1709), where he 
crushed the fiery Charles XII. and established his greatness. 



U J 



Twas after dread Poltava's day, 
When fortune left the royal Swede, 
* * * * * * # 

The wounded Charles was taught to fly 
By day and night, through field and flood," 

accompanied by a faithful few, including the Ukraine hetman 
Mazeppa, whose story at the midnight halt, to beguile the depres- 
sion of the vanquished king, Byron relates in exquisite verse. 
Lastly, but among the greatest of the glories of St. Peters- 
burg, are the two magnificent cathedrals, St. Isaac's and Our 
Lady of Kazan. The latter, which is less imposing than St. 
Isaac's, is distinguished by a colonnade after the design of St. 
Peter's at Rome, but of greatly inferior proportions. Within, 
the features are a splendid Corinthian monolithic colonnade; 
the solid silver iconostas, or screen before the sanctuary, weigh- 
ing four thousand pounds ; and a miraculous painting of the 
Virgin, brought from Kazan, all of which except the face is 
covered with a plate of pure gold and loaded with diamonds 
and other precious stones. The cathedral of the Dalmatian 
Isaac is the most stupendous sacred edifice of the century, a 
marvel of labor, commenced and completed in less than forty 
years. Both in construction and in finish it displays an enor- 
mous outlay, ponderous architecture, unity of style, costly mate- 
rials, and prodigal interior decoration. The cost of sinking the 
piles for the foundations alone was one million of dollars. 
Resting upon a granite base, the building has the usual 
Russian form of a Greek cross, — arms of equal length, — and 
the material is mainly granite, highly polished. Standing 
alone in the centre of a square, each of the four facades, 



Russia. 485 

averaging rather less than three hundred feet in length, is 
adorned with a massive portico, approached by a broad flight 
of three steps, and having a front row of eight Corinthian 
columns, besides a group in the rear, with bases and capitals 
of bronze. These Titanic shafts, in all numbering forty-eight, 
are monoliths of lustrous granite, fifty-six feet in height and 
seven in diameter, from the mineral Ophir of Finland. Ex- 
tended groups in bronze ornament the several pediments of 
these porticos, namely, "The Resurrection of Christ/' "St. 
Isaac Persecuted by the Emperor Valens," " The Adoration 
of the Magi/' and "St. Isaac Blessing the Emperor Theodo- 
sius the Great/' and the three great doors are likewise of 
bronze, with bas-reliefs of Scriptural subjects in the panels. 

Rising from a socle upon the roof, and flanked by four 
quadrangular campaniles, as well as by kneeling angels hang- 
ing garlands upon antique candelabra, is the stately cupola, 
surrounded by twenty-four superb columns thirty feet in 
height and of the same order as those below. Crowning this 
peristyle is a balustrade mounted with twenty-four angels, 
within the circle of which, resting upon a rotunda of windows, 
the majestic aureate dome curves upward with faultless grace. 
An octagonal lantern, gilded and columned, surmounts the 
flashing tiara, and above this again the huge golden cross, 
double-armed and cast in open-work, is fixed in an upturned 
crescent. The height from the ground to the summit of the 
cross is variously stated as from three hundred and ten to three 
hundred and forty feet. Such, briefly, is the outline of this 
noble temple, without any enumeration of the many other 
single figures, groups, and reliefs in bronze which enter into 
the exterior decoration. Although the design exhibits the 
linear austerity of the classic, its severity is relieved by the 
elegance and variety of the materials, granite and marble, 
gold and bronze. 

Inside, the first coup oVceil dazzles the beholder with its 



486 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

amazing splendor. Here again are colossal columns of pol- 
ished granite ; the walls and floors are of glistening granite 
and the rarest marbles; sacred mural paintings in oil adorn 
the vault of the dome and the recessed niches ; gold and silver 
chandeliers for thousands of candles hang from the lofty ceil- 
ing; pictorial images loaded with jewels and votive gifts flash 
at every turn ; everywhere shrine-lights and burning tapers 
meet the vision ; and the embellishment throughout displays a 
profusion of gilding, color, and metallic ornament. 

More wonderful still is the marvellous richness of the ieo- 
nostas and the mystic sanctuary which it veils, the Holy of the 
Holies. Approached by steps of porphyry and enclosed with 
a balustrade of Seravezza marble elaborated with gilt and 
colored stones, the face of the iconostas, which cuts off the 
eastern arm of the church, presents eight columns of malachite 
and two of lapis lazuli, veneered upon cylinders of iron, fluted 
and of the Corinthian order, with bases and capitals of gilded 
bronze. Above and about these shafts the immense screen is 
resplendent with gold and silver, mosaic pictures, precious 
minerals, oil-paintings, golden angels, and Biblical groups. The 
sacred door in the middle, which spreads its superbly-wrought 
leaves of silver to a height of thirty-five feet, forms the en- 
trance to the prestoly or sanctuary, a circular temple lighted by a 
window brilliantly painted with a colossal Christ in the attitude 
of benediction. Within this inmost shrine we find a repetition 
of the splendor without, — steps of porphyry, a floor of varie- 
gated marbles,* a dome and columns of malachite, an altar of 
white marble, and a silver gilt model of the cathedral for the 
tabernacle. 

The interior grandeur of St. Isaac's is at all times most im- 
pressive, but during a service the effect is heightened. The 
orthodox Russian Church employs no instrumental music, but 
the responses are chanted by a large body of choristers, in- 
cluding boys as soprani. The chandeliers blaze with a myriad 



RUSSIA. 487 

of flickering candles ; many priests and deacons appear in gold 
and silver vestments ; swinging censers wreathe their aromatic 
clouds like an aureole about the flashing shrine; the Holy 
Eucharist is borne forth from the arcane sanctuary ; and thou- 
sands of earnest worshippers, all standing, the rich beside the 
poor, are ever crossing themselves or prostrating their heads to 
the marble floor, — the whole constituting a wondrous picture 
of veneration for the omnipotent King u in whose hand is the 
soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." 

The excursions in the vicinity of St. Petersburg are of varied 
interest, but a notice of them must be limited to a mere sum- 
mary. Cronstadt, the port of the capital, is celebrated for its 
extensive granite fortifications, so formidable that during the 
Crimean War the English fleet retired without attempting 
an assault. On the opposite shore stands the palace of Ora- 
nienbaum, built by the famous Menchikoff, the pastry-cook 
w T ho became minister of state, field-marshal, and prince of the 
empire in the reign of Peter the Great. A few miles distant 
from the last is Peterhof, the Russian Potsdam, which com- 
mands a fine view of the embouchure of the Neva. Here the 
palaces, villas, pavilions, fountains, and baths are both numer- 
ous and princely. In the Low Gardens, bordering on the 
frith, is Peter the Great's modest residence called Marly, con- 
taining many relics of that monarch. A pond before the house 
is filled with fish which come to the surface to be fed when a 
bell is rung, a practice dating from the time of Peter. Near by, 
at Monplaisir, an unpretentious house of Dutch aspect, the 
White Czar expired, after much agony, in 1725. The bedroom 
and its contents remain as they were when the event occurred, 
even to his night-clothes and robe de chambre. An elegant little 
palace and a Russian bath belonging to the present autocrat's 
daughter Marie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is the next attrac- 
tion. The steam for the latter is produced by casting red-hot 
cannon balls into a tank of water. Not far from this neigh- 



488 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT 

borhood the emperor has a bath, a roofless marble enclosure 
with a pool and fountain. 

The main palace at Peterhof occupies an eminence in the 
High Gardens, overlooking terraces decorated with flowers, 
fountains, and waterfalls. Among the grandes eaux, which 
some venture to compare with those at Versailles, the principal 
jet, called the Samson, is thrown to a height of eighty feet. 
Within, the palace is furnished with articles of virtu in too 
great an abundance to be appreciated ; but one apartment is 
remarkable for a collection of more than three hundred and 
fifty portraits of beautiful women, all in the costumes of the 
different Russian provinces and in every variety of pose. 
After leaving the palace, the Island of the Czarina, with its 
villa, is next in order ; then that of the czar ; and afterward 
the Hermitage, the English Park, Catherine the Great's Birch 
Cottage, the new marble Belvedere, and Alexandria, the pri- 
vate grounds of the present emperor. Following the high 
road from Peterhof to the capital we pass in succession Mikhail- 
ofsky, the residence of the Grand Duke Michael ; Strelna, the 
palace of the Grand Duke Constantine ; and the monastery of 
St. Sergius, a popular resort on Sundays and the burial-place 
of many noted ecclesiastics and eminent families. 

The greatest of the suburban palaces is that of Tsarskoe 
Selo (Imperial Town), located about fifteen miles south of the 
city. The railroad connecting the two places was the first 
constructed in Russia. This extraordinary pile is three stories 
high, and presents a facade no less than twelve hundred feet 
in length. Formerly all the architectural ornaments of this 
front — such as capitals, vases, carving, and statuary — were 
overlaid with gold ; but now only the dome and the cupolas 
of the church are so distinguished. Inside the palace the 
decorations in general are of the most lavish character; but 
the splendor of certain apartments, without considering the 
question of taste, must be described as wonderful. In one 



Russia. 489 

room the floor is of ebony inlaid with great flowers of mother- 
of- pearl, while the walls are lined with pictures by the oid 
masters, without frames, and garnished with strips of lapis 
lazuli. The ceilings of the state apartments and the chapel 
are sheets of gold, and the banqueting-hall has a broad dado 
of the same precious material. In Catherine the Great's bed- 
chamber the walls are of porcelain, with pillars of purple 
glass. Lastly, but the most marvellous of all, and certainly 
one of the most sumptuous in the world, the Amber Room 
must be mentioned. Here the walls are of amber, arranged 
in panels and wrought into various elaborate designs in high 
relief. The arms of Frederick the Great frequently appear in 
conjunction with the imperial E which represents the Russian 
Ekaterina, as the amber was a present from the king to the 
empress. The grounds belonging to the palace, eighteen miles 
in circumference, receive the most scrupulous care from several 
hundred soldiers. 

The Moscow station at St. Petersburg, just previous to the 
departure of a train, is all animation. Passengers are attended 
by groups of friends or relatives, and the repeated farewells 
are taken amid much display of affection. Strong men salute 
each other, as well as the opposite sex, with the long kiss, and 
when the train moves many a tear-stained handkerchief is 
fluttered from the platform and the car windows. Among 
those bound southward by the evening express one summer's 
day, we alone had none to attend us with devoted adieus 
except our faithful valet de place, to whom w T e had become 
much attached. In all our travels we were never so depressed 
by the sensation of being strangers in a distant land, a yearn- 
ing of the heart which Alls the mind with images of home, 
country, and friends. The sleeping-car in which our tickets 
called for places was arranged with reclining-chairs, but with- 
out compartments to exclude cigarette smoke and noisy talk, 
unceasing annoyances throughout the night. The railway* 

32 



490 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

from St. Petersburg to Moscow was built and equipped by 
the American firm of Harrison, Winans & Eastwick, of which 
the late Mr. Joseph Harrison, Jr., of Philadelphia, was the 
senior partner. The distance between the two cities is rather 
more than six hundred versts,* or about four hundred miles, 
which is accomplished in fifteen and a half hours. 

As the train moves out of the capital, the Moscow gate rises 
in stately outline upon the right, — a triumphal arch of the 
Greek style erected to glorify Russian victories in Persia, 
Turkey, and Poland. St. Isaac's golden dome lingers upon 
the horizon to remind the departing visitor of the city's splen- 
dor; but, gradually yielding to distance, at length it vanishes. 
Few places of interest relieve the monotony of the journey, 
as the railway follows a line so straight that it never curves 
to embrace a town of importance. About twenty-five leagues 
from St. Petersburg, after traversing a flat, uninviting country, 
the train halts at the station of Chudova, whence a narrow- 
gauge road extends to Novgorod (New-city), formerly called 
the Great. Here the history of the Russian empire com- 
mences, in 862, with the arrival of the Norman chief Rurik, 
who was invited from Scandinavia, with his tribe of Varan- 
gians, to become ruler over the native Slavs. The dynasty of 
Rurik continued in power until the death of the Czar Theo- 
dore I., in 1598, when it became extinct. After a period of 
intestine quarrels it was succeeded in 1613 by the closely-allied 
house of Romanoff, the reigning family of Russia. During 
the middle ages Novgorod was both opulent and potent, but 
in the latter part of the fifteenth century it fell under the rule 
of the grand duchy of Moscow, and later it was sacked by 
Ivan the Terrible. Its principal attraction now is the Ca- 
thedral of St. Sophia, designed in imitation of Justinian's 
renowned church, the present mosque of that name at Con- 

* A verst is equal to eleven hundred and sixty-seven yards. 



RUSSIA. 491 

stantinople. St. Vladimir and a dozen other canonized per- 
sonages are enshrined in silver and gold within this cathedral, 
and in front of it the veches, or popular councils, were held 
when the city gloried in wealth and independence. 

Upon leaving Chudova the train proceeds through the Val- 
dai Hills, an uneven wooded section, to Vyshni-Volochok, 
which is chiefly noticeable for a canal uniting the Volga and the 
Neva, and the Caspian and the Baltic. Farther south the 
Volga is crossed near Tver, whence steamers run to Astrakhan, 
more than two thousand miles away. Some distance beyond 
Tver is a small station named Krukova, which is the point of 
departure for the great monastery of New Jerusalem or Vosk- 
resenski, otherwise Resurrection. 

This convent, so celebrated in the annals of the Russian 
church, was founded by the Patriarch Nikon, in the reign 
of the Czar Alexis (1645-76). After first establishing a 
church on this site, the prelate constructed another upon the 
model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. 
Various features of the surrounding topography, both natural 
and artificial, he named in accordance with their supposed re- 
semblance to those of the Holy Land, such as the river Jor- 
dan, the brook Kedron, Nazareth, and Bethany. So the work 
rested until, by his attempts to assume civil as well as arbitrary 
religious power, he lost the favor of the czar; and in a moment 
of rage, in consequence of being slighted by the monarch,, he 
resigned the patriarchate of Moscow and retired to Voskre- 
senski. There he remained in seclusion for six years,, during 
which period most of the monastery was built. Regretting 
the folly of his withdrawal, at the expiration of that time he 
returned to Moscow and sought to resume the ecclesiastical 
throne upon the plea that the prophet Jonah had directed it in 
a vision. A council of the church followed,, and Nikon was 
banished to a convent in the province of Novgorod. Upon 
the accession of the Czar Theodore II., the degraded patriarch 



492 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

was pardoned, but soon after died. The remains of this Rus- 
sian Chrysostom lie in the imitation Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre, at Resurrection, and above the tomb hang the peni- 
tential chains with which he was wont to enwrap his body. 

The station for the Monastery of New Jerusalem is within 
twenty-five miles of the journey's end, and as the train ap- 
proaches nearer and nearer, an undefined, gleaming profile 
emerges from the landscape, grounded against the deep, burn- 
ing azure of a morning sky, and slowly resolves itself into 
oriental minarets and starry domes of green and blue, golden 
bulbs and airy spires, — the Benares of Christian Europe, the 
Holy City of the Slavonians. 

Moscow is a picturesque, crowded city, with crooked, un- 
dulating streets, incongruous architecture, and hundreds of 
churches. Founded in the twelfth century, it has often fallen 
a prey to fire, war, pestilence, internal dissension, and famine; 
but succeeding each calamity its prosperity was restored by a 
devoted people. Although shorn of its honors as the capital, 
Moscow is yet the heart of the realm, the home of the most 
reverenced shrines, and sacred because of its repeated martyr- 
dom. The great event in its history is the burning in 1812, 
which worked the destruction of the French army. Whether 
the momentous conflagration was a national sacrifice, deliber- 
ately planned, or the act of unauthorized incendiaries, is an 
unsettled question. Relying upon the rigor of the northern 
winter as a powerful ally, the Russian leader, Barclay de 
Tolly, had artfully permitted Napoleon to penetrate far into 
the country without accepting a single general engagement. 
This policy, however, displeased the Russians, whereupon the 
Emperor Alexander bestowed the chief command upon Mar- 
shal Kutuzof, who gave battle at Borodino, seventy-five miles 
southwest of Moscow, where the killed and wounded on both 
sides amounted to eighty thousand. The Russians evacuated 
Moscoav without a struggle, after removing their people, 



Russia. 493 

shrines, and household stores; and the famishing invaders 
entered the city only to find it deserted, and bare of food. 
Scarcely had Napoleon established himself in the palace of the 
Kremlin before the coveted city was in flames, the work of 
convicts escaped or released from the prisons. The incendi- 
aries w r ere shot in squads, but the fire raged unconquered, and 
pillage ensued with all its horrors. Napoleon's overtures for 
peace were rejected, and at length, after a month's delay, the 
Grand Army commenced that terrible retreat which sealed the 
doom of the First Empire. 

Moscow was speedily rebuilt in 1813 without regard to 
plan or regularity, the streets generally following the old tor- 
tuous lines, and the houses rising equally confused in style 
and pretensions. On the whole, the city has gained in size 
and architectural taste, as well as in elegance. The river 
Moskva winds in through the leading section, and then out 
again, passing in its course the enclosure of the Kremlin, which 
lies on the northern bank, and occupies the central and highest 
part of the city. Adjoining the Kremlin on the east is the 
walled division called the Kitai Gorod, or Chinese City, the 
two being within the compass of the Beloi Gorod, or White 
City. The last in turn is bounded by a boulevard in the shape 
of a crescent, — the site of a former moat, — with each end rest- 
ing on the river. An outer concentric boulevard, once a line of 
fortifications, forming a complete circle and extending on both 
sides of the river, encloses an intervening zone known as the 
Zemlanoi Gorod, or Earthen City; and beyond this again are 
the suburbs. As already intimated, the views of the city are 
most striking, and one of the best is had from the familiar 
Sparrow Hills, upon which Napoleon stood when he first con- 
templated his fatal gilded prize. 

The Kremlin is to Moscow what the Acropolis was to 
Athens and the Al ham bra to Granada, so far as a comparison 
may be drawn where life, architecture, and religion differ so 



494 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

radically. The derivation of the name is uncertain, although 
it probably came from the Tartar word krem, signifying for- 
tress, or from the old Slavonic Jcreml or foremen, a stone. 
As early as the thirteenth century, when the Mongols were 
masters of Central Russia, the Kremlin was a citadel and 
palace in which the deputies of the khans of the Golden Horde 
resided in great splendor. Its original defence was a palisade 
of oak, but this was replaced in 1367 by walls of stone, which, 
having been partially destroyed, were rebuilt and afterward 
strengthened by the first of the czars, Ivan the Great (1462- 
1505), who expelled the Tartars and adopted the double- 
headed eagle as the symbol of the empire. These walls 
escaped a fire in 1737, which almost entirely consumed the 
buildings within; and in the event of 1812 the Kremlin suf- 
fered only moderate injuries from mines sprung by the French 
when evacuating the city. 

The outline of the Kremlin is a triangular eminence, with 
lofty crenellated walls, flanked by towers and turrets, pierced 
by five gates, and having a length of seventy-two hundred 
and eighty feet. Within this enclosure is a brilliant mass of 
churches, palaces, and convents, nearly all of the most curious 
and original design, a type of architecture peculiar to Russia 
alone, yet hot without traces of the Byzantine and Tartar styles. 
The effect of this tapestry of unique forms and fantastic 
grandeur, when viewed from a distance, is picturesque and 
fascinating beyond all conception. First, the snowy battle- 
ments rise from the river bank, then the multiform buildings 
with their roofs of red and green, and above these again the 
crowd of gilded cupolas surmounted by Greek crosses, belfries 
capped with knobs of gold, and ribbed spires of six or eight 
sides, — a picture of incomparable barbaric splendor, which 
enchants the eye and surfeits the imagination. 

Approaching the Kremlin from the Kitai Gorod, we cross 
the Krasnaia, or Red Place, and enter by the Spasski Vorota or 



Russia. 495 

Holy Gate, the most important of the five. This famous gate 
forms an archway through a massive square tower and an outer 
porch. The upper part of the tower, which is of smaller 
dimensions than the lower, contains a clock with four dials, 
and higher still commences an octagonal Gothic spire, gilded, 
and bearing upon its pinnacle the double-headed eagle. Over 
the entrance hangs an image of the Redeemer of Smolensk, — a 
picture of the Saviour, — which is highly venerated by all be- 
lievers. Either because of adoration for this sacred object, or 
in consequence of some vague miracle or saintly dedication of 
the gate itself, every man passing through must remove his hat 
and continue uncovered until he emerges at either side. Al- 
though the origin of this ancient custom is practically unknown, 
its sanctity is respected by the emperor himself, and travellers 
are cautioned that any failure to conform to the practice would 
be regarded as sacrilege. The Nicholas Gate, which has a 
supernatural picture of the saint whose name it bears, and the 
Trinity Gate, facing the gardens of the Kremlin on the west, 
are both closely associated with the French occupation, in- 
cluding an incident duly impressed upon the superstitious 
populace as a miracle. 

Having ascended from the Holy Gate, we stand upon the 
esplanade of the Kremlin, within a short walk of the princi- 
pal buildings. The first to arrest attention is the imposing 
octagonal tower of Ivan Veliki, which reaches to a height 
of three hundred and twenty-five feet, including the gilded 
cupola and a surmounting cross. More than thirty bells are 
suspended within this structure, varying in size from a small 
pair made of silver to a brazen monster weighing nearly seventy 
tons. Close by this tower, upon a base of granite, rests the 
largest bell ever known to have existed. This Tsar Kolokol, 
or Monarch of Bells, is the growth of repeated castings, the 
last of which was executed by command of the Empress 
Anne (1730-40), when it reached the present enormous weight 



496 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

of nearly two hundred tons. It measures more than twenty- 
one feet in height, and has a circumference of about sixty-eight 
feet. The surface is decorated with reliefs, including figures 
of the Czar Alexis and the imperial Anne. Whether this 
gigantic bell was ever suspended and rung, history fails to 
relate, but through a fall, or some imperfection in the casting, 
a fragment seven feet high lies detached from the side. For 
a century the whole lay partly imbedded in the ground, from 
which it was lifted only as late as 1837. The bells of the 
Kremlin, and elsewhere in the churches of the realm, are 
greatly respected and even venerated, because their function is 
that of a service rather than a summons ; and the art of cast- 
ing them, which has been practised in Russia for five hundred 
years, attained perfection as early as the sixteenth century. 
The richest and purest tones are secured by alloying the metal 
with gold and silver, frequently the offerings of the devout. 

Now let us enter the Great Palace, a modern innovation 
built by the late Emperor Nicholas to replace an older one 
destroyed by the French. Here is almost a repetition of the 
sumptuous splendor of the Winter Palace, together with halls 
devoted to the different orders of Russian knighthood, — the 
St. Andrew, St. Catherine, St. Alexander Nevski, and St. 
George. The right wing of the palace, erected since the com- 
pletion of the main building, is the celebrated Treasury of 
Moscow, a depository of inestimable riches and precious his- 
torical curiosities. This collection comprises the hereditary 
wealth of the sovereigns, the robes, crowns, orbs, sceptres, and 
thrones of various reigns, diplomatic gifts to the august czars, 
firearms and armor, trophies of war, gold and silver plate, and 
carriages of state. Amid this dazzling array we see the ancient 
crown, sceptre, and orb of Monomachus, all blazing with 
jewels ; the ivory throne which came with Sophia Palseologus, 
the bride of Ivan the Great and last princess of the Eastern 
Empire, through whom Russia claims the inheritance of Tur- 



eussta. 497 

key ; the conquered diadems of Astrakhan, Siberia, and Kazan, 
sown with great diamonds, pearls, rubies, turquoises, and sap- 
phires ; the throne of captive Poland, brought from the palace 
at Warsaw in 1833; the colors of the turbulent Streltsi, the 
Janissaries or Mem looks of Russia, whom Peter the Great 
destroyed without mercy ; vases, platters, and vessels of gold 
and silver, designed and ornamented in endless variety ; and 
Circassian coats of mail, weapons studded with precious stones, 
and memorials of the heroes of Russia. 

Connected with the new edifice by stairs and galleries are 
certain important remains of the old palace of the czars, the 
style and decorations of which, both within and without, are 
exceedingly complicated, fanciful, and lavish. One of these 
capricious structures — the Terema — was formerly the dwelling 
of the czarina and her children ; and a second, the Granovitaia 
Palata, or Facet Palace, was the banqueting-hall and audience- 
chamber of the czar, where the autocrat yet dines in state 
after his coronation. Another section, called the Gold Court, 
is a brilliant example of barbaric splendor ; and not the least 
interesting feature of the group is the exterior flight of steps 
familiar in Muscovite history as the Red Staircase. These 
stairs, now used only on rare occasions, Napoleon ascended 
with his marshals when he entered the Kremlin ; about them 
gathered the riotous Streltsi and unruly Dissenters in the 
troubles of 1682; and from them the people flung the body 
of the spurious Demetrius (1606), after he had reigned for 
about a year. 

Close by the palace are the three noted cathedrals of the 
Kremlin, — the Assumption, the Archangel Michael, and the 
Annunciation. The Assumption, the scene of the consecration 
and coronation of the emperors, is the holiest sanctuary of 
Russia, and the mortuary house of the patriarchs. This church 
was founded early in the fourteenth century, but in the latter 
part of the fifteenth it was reconstructed upon the plan of the 



498 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Byzantine cathedral at Vladimir. The building is nearly 
square and of very limited dimensions. A central dome and 
four smaller cupolas are supported from within by four gigantic 
pillars, which, like the whole interior, are covered with archaic 
figures of saints and martyrs, painted on a golden background. 
The resplendent iconostas of gilded silver is likewise adorned 
with sacred pictures, including a Virgin ascribed to St. Luke, 
all set with precious stones in fabulous profusion. Chandeliers 
of silver hang from the vaulted roof, and the receptacle of the 
consecrated host is a Mount Sinai of pure gold. A portion of 
the vesture of Christ is preserved in a magnificent shrine, and 
other reliquaries contain a nail from the true cross, the hand 
of St. Andrew, a piece of the Virgin's robe, and the head of 
St. John Chrysostom. The tombs of the primates are ranged 
around the walls, and in a small chapel near the altar-screen 
lies St. Peter, the first metropolitan of Moscow. A shrine of 
silver encloses the remains of the Archbishop St. Philip, who 
dared reprove Ivan the Terrible for his cruelties, although it 
cost him his life. Believers devoutly kiss the shrivelled fore- 
head of this prelate, and in other cases perhaps a dried hand or 
an exposed bone is the object of this disgusting form of worship. 
These relics are arranged in their appropriate places in silver 
caskets, together with splendid vestments draped as if upon 
the dead. The spots pressed so often by the lips of greasy 
people become soiled and repulsive to the sight, but the zeal 
for this species of idolatry is blind to cleanliness and a stranger 
to thought. 

The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael is similar to the 
Assumption in general design and decoration, except that the 
mural paintings have no background of gold. This church 
is the mausoleum of the czars preceding Peter the Great, in- 
cluding both the Ruric and Romanoff dynasties. The simple 
tombs are inscribed with the names of the sovereigns, and 
shrouded with palls of cashmere and other rich materials, in 



Russia. 499 

the oriental style. The Cathedral of the Annunciation, in 
which the czars were baptized and married, is noticeable for 
its mosaic floor of agate, carnelian, and jasper. Caskets with 
holy bones are numerous enough in this church to satisfy the 
most pious madness, not to mention a reliquary which displays 
the reputed crown of thorns, a little of Christ's blood, the 
stick used in his flagellation, and the sponge on which vinegar 
was given to the dying Saviour. 

Satiated with churches, let us pass the convents of the 
Kremlin and glance at the arsenal, an imitation of the one at 
Venice. The building is said to contain one hundred thousand 
stand of arms, besides captured flags and other military tro- 
phies. On the outside are arranged hundreds of cannon taken 
from the French in 1812, each row having a shield to indicate 
the nationality in the Grand Army to which it belonged. 
Among the examples of antiquated Russian ordnance is a 
monster cannon, with a mouth thirty inches in diameter, cast 
in the reign of the first Theodore. Both the gun and its car- 
riage, and especially the latter, are richly ornamented. 

Issuing from the Kremlin by the Holy Gate we are again 
upon the Red Place, near where Ivan the Terrible erected his 
instruments of torture and Peter the Great executed the Streltsi 
with horrible cruelty. One side of this open space is occupied 
by the Gostinoi Dvor, a great bazaar with a labyrinth of pas- 
sages and about six thousand shops. Opposite the Holy Gate 
stands the Cathedral of St. Basil, the most chimerical of all 
architectural creations, an edifice without a prototype, a riddle 
for the eye. Picture a maze of incoherent chapels, porches, 
cells, projections, and galleries knotted in one fantastic huddle, 
and surmounted by a crowd of carved towers, turbaned cu- 
polas, and Tartar bulbs, each of a different size and style. To 
heighten the bizarre effect, this masquerade of masonry is 
painted in every possible color, a harlequin in stone with a 
casque of gold. The interior is divided into gilded and pic- 



500 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

tured chapels, one under every tower, and each entirely inde- 
pendent of the others. Ivan the Terrible erected this church 
in commemoration of the conquest of Kazan, and after its 
completion, according to a doubtful legend, the despot com- 
manded the eyes of the Italian architect to be put out, in order 
that the whimsical temple might not be reproduced or surpassed 
elsewhere. The tutelary St. Basil, whose shrine it contains, 
was a mendicant enthusiast of the sixteenth century, described 
in Russian ecclesiastical annals as " idiotic for Christ's sake." 

The Foundling Hospital of Moscow is one of the most re- 
markable institutions of Russia, but it may be questioned 
whether its operations are entirely beneficial to morality. Ten 
to fifteen thousand infants are accepted every year, with no 
question other than if the rite of baptism has been adminis- 
tered. A receipt bearing a number is given for each child, by 
which it may be reclaimed any time within ten years. The 
Liliputian inmates receive every attention from an experienced 
medical staff and a corps of trained nurses for a period of four 
weeks, when they are assigned to foster-mothers and sent into 
the country. A lying-in asylum, with open and secret wards, 
and an institute for the female orphans of imperial servants, 
are also attached to the hospital, the whole occupying a 
splendid pile of buildings on the banks of the Moskva. The 
establishment is supported by the revenue of a monopoly for 
the sale of playing-cards, together with a yearly grant of nearly 
a million dollars. 

The Riding-School of Moscow, a structure devoted to the 
winter evolutions of the military, is noticeable as one of the 
largest rooms in the world without a column or other central 
support for the ceiling. The space covered is about five hun- 
dred and sixty feet long and one hundred and sixty wide. A 
magnificent unfinished church, called the Temple of the Sa- 
viour, undertaken as a memorial of the invasion and defeat of 
the French, promises to approach St. Isaac's in grandeur. The 



RUSSIA. 501 

Chapel of the Iberian Mother of God is usually visited by 
strangers to witness the devotion to a jewelled picture which 
rejoices in that profane title, a copy brought from Mount Athos 
in Greece, the Rome of the Eastern Church. A score of mon- 
asteries and convents are scattered through the city, and others 
in the vicinity constitute the excursions which surfeited trav- 
ellers are invited to make. All display a monotony of count- 
less treasures, — gold, silver, and precious stones, — the sight of 
which seems to inspire the average Russian with spiritual fervor. 

The people are engrossed with religious duties, and never 
appear so much hurried as to omit prostrating themselves before 
the shrines met everywhere on the streets. The shops, offices, 
and homes all have the bog, or saintly picture, hung in a corner, 
with its little lamp shedding an uncertain shimmer over the 
veneering of silver or gilt. Even the hotel rooms are provided 
with the inevitable image, probably to comfort wakeful trav- 
ellers, as the rampant vermin convert the hostleries of Moscow 
into a sleepless purgatory. The largest of these hotels, known 
as the Slavianski Bazaar, is the most expensive of all the lead- 
ing houses we patronized in Europe. Originally it was a 
building fitted as a place of assemblage for the various trades, 
but not proving a financial success it was altered for its present 
purpose. The French cuisine and service are alike miserable, 
and if a guest leaves after one in the afternoon he is charged 
for the use of the apartment that night. 

The Russians frequent an extensive hotel called the Kokoref, 
which is located on the southern bank of the river, and affords 
fine views of the Kremlin by moonlight. A traktir, or cafe, 
attached to this establishment is a fashionable resort for a glass 
of tea flavored with lemon. While partaking of the beverage 
a superb orchestrion delights the ear with its measured harmony. 
During our stay it rendered the march from " Aida" and a 
selection from " The Star of the North," the libretto of the 
latter being founded on the life of Peter the Great. Tea- 



502 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

drinking is a national institution with the Russians. The 
unkempt driver of the drosky asks for " tea-money" in ad- 
dition to his fare, the middle classes sip it at the restaurants, 
and royalty evinces a partiality for it through the elegant tete- 
ci-tete sets in the palaces. 

About two hundred and seventy-five miles by rail eastward 
from Moscow, at the junction of the Oka with the Volga, is 
Nijni -Novgorod (Lower New-city), the seat of the great an- 
nual fair. According to the Russian calendar* this vast mer- 
cantile gathering opens officially on the 15th of £uly, and 
closes on the 25th of August, but the actual period of busi- 
ness activity commences and terminates later. The site is a 
low projecting point of land between the two rivers, with an 
area of four or five hundred acres. This flat is covered with 
stone bazaars, wooden shops, booths, houses, and churches, most 
of them substantially built and arranged in rows or streets. 
Each trade has its own quarter, in the oriental style, to offer 
collectively the products of almost every part of the globe. 
The yearly assemblage comprises nearly two hundred thousand 
people, representing many different nationalities, and the sales 
aggregate between seventy-five and one hundred million dol- 
lars. The most prominent items of commerce are Russian 
fabrics, grain, and furs, Siberian iron, Chinese teas, general 
European wines and chemicals, and costly shawls, carpets, and 
silks of Eastern manufacture. Jewels, ornaments, and curi- 
osities are also to be found in this grand mart, but to acquire 
them implies a system of bargaining like that related in con- 
nection with Damascus. 

The journey from Moscow to Warsaw, a distance of less 
than seven hundred miles, proved weary beyond all comparison. 

* On account of the enmity existing between the Roman Catholic and 
Russo-Greek Churches, as already stated in the chapter on Greece, Russia 
still adheres to the old-style Greek or Julian calendar, which is twelve 
days behind the new-style Latin or Gregorian calendar. 



RUSSIA. 503 

The road was smooth enough and the cars not uncomfortable, 
save in the usual quota of savage fleas; but the pace was dil- 
atory, and precious hours were frittered away in stoppages and 
failures to connect. We left Moscow on a Tuesday evening, 
alone in a first-class wagon, which had seats convertible into 
couches. The volume of travel has suffered from the deprecia- 
tion of the paper money, united with extremely high fares. 
Our course was west by southwest, with Smolensk, Minsk, and 
Brest-Litovsk as the principal landmarks. Twenty-five leagues 
from Moscow we saw the village of Borodino, near which 
occurred the sanguinary Battle of the Generals. During the 
night we passed Gjatsk and Yiazma, the latter a place of some 
commercial importance. At eleven the next morning we break- 
fasted at Smolensk, having had the early coffee before at a small 
station. Smolensk is a fortified town of nearly twenty-five 
thousand inhabitants, built on declivities overlooking the river 
Dnieper. Although one of the oldest cities in the Russias, 
and hallowed by an eventful history, time and conflict have 
spared none of its structural monuments except the old walls, 
now partly ruined and demolished, and several tiresome 
churches with a liberal supply of miraculous images. During 
the French invasion the town was twice stricken with all the 
most horrible calamities of war. 

Late in the day we came to Minsk, a provincial centre with 
considerable population, but of no present interest. Another 
cheerless night dragged out its length, and noon of Thursday 
was almost upon us before we reached the junction at Brest- 
Litovsk. On account of its strategetical position, this otherwise 
unattractive town has been honored with one of the strongest 
fortresses in the empire. The works are of modern construc- 
tion, and have a circumference of four miles. Here the train 
rested two hours, and then crossed the river Bug into Russian 
Poland. Thence the route carried us through Biala and 
Siedlce, both small towns, and soon after nightfall we arrived 



504 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

at Warsaw on time, forty-nine hours from Moscow. Most of 
the country along the line of the railway in Russia is flat, 
monotonous, and often even barren. The pine, fir, and birch 
flourish in endless tracts, and the villages of low, primitive 
shanties have the aspect of only partial civilization. A general 
improvement is noticeable upon entering Poland, and the people 
bear the indications of a better condition. 

A traveller cannot visit the Russias without having forced 
upon him the conviction that the estate of the peasantry is the 
lowest in Europe. The men are clad in gray drugget, re- 
sembling the roughest army blankets, and the trousers are 
always thrust into the huge boots. In winter, and even for 
milder weather, the sheepskin tunic is worn, with the woolly 
side turned inward. The hair and beard are coarse and uncut, 
and the physiognomy strongly reflects the fact that Russia has 
fewer schools in proportion to the population than any of the 
Continental States. These are the millions formerly known as 
serfs, and although the system of villeinage was abolished by 
ukase of March 3, 1861, their freedom as yet is only nominal. 
The execution of the Emancipation Act entailed so heavy a 
burden on the government, through the provisions for com- 
pensating the landed proprietors, that the incipient peasants, as 
bodies and not individually, are forced to repay the enormous 
advances to their respective communes before they can leave 
the original soil. Under this plan the idle profit by the labors 
of the industrious, and the consequence has been to impoverish 
the peasantry without effecting their liberty. Church, state, 
and society in Russia all stand in need of radical reform ; and 
when the changes come, as they surely will, the result must 
prove a joy to the people and a relief to the uneasy throne. 
And as Americans, remembering Russia's friendship in a try- 
ing hour, let us hope the revolution may be peaceful and 
glorious, strengthening the empire abroad, and insuring free- 
dom at home. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

POLAND. 

The history of Poland is closely interwoven with misfor- 
tune. Her people are the subjects of the profound sympathy 
of every disinterested nation of Europe, but unhappily it has 
always been a sympathy of useless sentiment and not of chi- 
valric action. Tradition recounts that far back in the misty 
past there dwelt in the region of the Danube three brothers 
of the Slavic family who aspired to become rulers. Departing 
from their native shores in pursuance of their plans, like Rom- 
ulus and Remus they allowed their destinies to be decided by 
the chance flight of birds. Three eagles flying in as many 
different lines were accepted as omens to be followed, and 
accordingly each brother travelled in the direction taken by 
his winged guide. Teckh, in this manner, became the founder 
of Bohemia; Russ, the settler of Russia; and Leckh, from the 
lead of a white eagle, became the father of the Poleckhs, or 
Polaks. Another version of the legend relates that Leckh built 
the first Polish city about the middle of the sixth century, call- 
ing it Gniezno, a nest, — the present Gnesen, — because an eagle's 
nest was discovered on the chosen site. Whatever may have 
been the origin of these mythical explanations, the white eagle 
has always been the revered symbol of Poland. 

Although the story of Poland can be traced as remotely as 
the fourth century of the Christian era, the early chronicles 
are so interspersed with legendary matter as to render them of 
little historical value. Xot until they reach the ninth or tenth 

33 505 



506 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

century can the records be accepted with moderate confidence. 
Early in the eleventh, under Boleslas I., or the Great, Poland 
assumed a position of importance among the surrounding na- 
tions, and became puissant in the propagation of Christianity. 
In the thirteenth the Tartars devastated the country, and later 
twice repeated their destructive incursions. A decline followed, 
to the profit of the rising state of Brandenburg, which afterward 
became Prussia. Under Casimir IV., in the latter half of the 
fifteenth century, the reverses of Poland were obliterated, and 
the most flourishing period of her history began. The realm 
increased in area, and the era of prosperity continued until 
under Sigismund I. (1506-1548) and his son, Sigismund II., 
the star of empire reached its zenith. At the latter's death the 
Diet, influenced by the army, declared the crown elective, and 
Henry of Valois, afterward Henry III. of France, was chosen 
king. Under his immediate successors arose the complications 
which, despite the bravery of her soldiers, resulted disastrously 
to Poland. The vast territory of the kingdom was greatly 
reduced by forcible dismemberment, and the capital itself was 
only recovered by Czarniecki's intrepid patriotism. The cele- 
brated general John Sobieski now becomes the conspicuous 
figure in Polish history. Under his leadership the invasions 
of the Russians, Tartars, and Cossacks were repelled, and an 
army of three hundred thousand Turks was annihilated. In 
1674 Sobieski was elected king, and in 1683 he saved Vienna 
when that capital was on the verge of capitulation to the 
besieging Turks. Witness in the next century the ingratitude 
of Austria ! 

From the death of Sobieski until the present the story of 
Poland is a repetition of disasters. Frederick Augustus, elec- 
tor of Saxony, succeeded as king, and in consequence of his 
alliance with Denmark and Russia, Poland was invaded by 
Charles XII. of Sweden. Augustus was forced to abdicate, 
but when the daring Charles was finally vanquished upon the 



POLAND. 507 

field of Poltava, he resumed the throne. The influence which 
Russia acquired by these events was diligently fostered, and sub- 
sequently proved fatal to Poland. Though reduced by intestine 
quarrels and enervated by the dissipations of the court, the now 
susceptible country was stricken by religious dissensions, the 
most destructive of all elements of civil strife and degeneration. 
These troubles, inspired by the Jesuits, commenced in 1766, 
early in the reign of Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski. In 
1769, Frederick the Great of Prussia, upon the flimsiest of 
pretexts, instituted the aggression which resulted in the treaty 
of 1772, whereby Austria, Russia, and Prussia deprived Po- 
land of provinces aggregating no less than five millions of 
population. Europe protested ; but it was the impotent protest 
of tongues, and not of arms. Poland struggled, but in vain. • 
In 1791 the Diet of the reduced kingdom proclaimed the 
new constitution of a republic, with an elective king. This 
Russia purposely opposed, and war was declared. Prussia 
proved recreant to an alliance concluded with Poland in 1790, 
and next it became evident that Austria was equally treacher- 
ous. Europe was apparently an indifferent spectator. Kos- 
ciusko and Poniatowski led the Polish forces, but the conflict 
closed in 1793 with the Second Partition, by which Russia and 
Prussia annexed territory embracing above four million souls. 
An uprising of the outraged people, under Kosciusko, now fol- 
lowed, only to be crushed by the combined armies of Austria, 
Prussia, and Russia, at the battle of Maciejovice, October 4, 
1794, when the patriot leader was taken to St. Petersburg as 
Catherine's prisoner. The Third Partition ensued in 1795, 
by which the allied powers grasped the remaining three millions 
of people, and thus Poland ceased to be a nation. The un- 
settled condition of Europe, it is urged in extenuation, pre- 
cluded armed intervention. Protests are mild and inexpensive, 
and protests were therefore freely interposed as an offering to 
vigilant international conscience. 



508 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

The promises of Napoleon now became the inspiration of 
the Poles. Valiantly they served in his legions, but Poland 
remained unremembered. Warsaw capitulated to him in 1806, 
and only then was the duchy of Warsaw established and united 
to Saxony. Though discontented with this equivocal restora- 
tion of their country, the Poles joined in the Moscow campaign, 
trusting for an ultimate realization of their hopes. The Grand 
Army was destroyed, and Poland once more subjected to a 
crushing disappointment. The duchy of Warsaw was annexed 
to Russia, but later the treaty of Vienna apportioned it among 
the usual grasping trio. The largest share of the three was 
erected into a nominal monarchy, with the Emperor Alexander 
as king, and in this state it was united to Russia. At the same 
time the city of Cracow and its vicinity were ostensibly created 
a republic, under the protectorate of Austria. 

The czar inaugurated his rule with much pretence of liber- 
ality ; but perceptibly, under the governorship of the Grand 
Duke Constantine, the reality of tyranny unfolded its purposes. 
Oppression succeeded wrong, and outrage succeeded oppres- 
sion, until the inevitable storm broke over the devoted land 
in November, 1830. Austria and Prussia became allies of 
Russia in quelling the revolution ; but it was not until Sep- 
tember of the succeeding year that even this alliance of might 
could subdue the heroic struggle for right. The pretended 
kingdom of Poland was abolished, the native language pro- 
scribed, and the country declared an integral province of Rus- 
sia, under the administration of a viceroy. Unsuccessful out- 
breaks have since occurred in 1833, 1846, 1861, and 1863. 
The republic of Cracow was duly absorbed by Austria in 1846, 
and gradual changes were successively decreed in the govern- 
ment of Russian Poland. The present czar at first evinced a 
disposition of greater generosity to the Poles than his prede- 
cessors, but in 1868 an imperial ukase erased their last vestige 
of identity. 



POLAND. 509 

Warsaw, the Polish capital, and present residence of the 
Russian governor-general, is comparatively little visited by 
travellers. At the Europejski Hotel — a fine building covering 
an entire block — not a word of English is spoken, but the 
universal French is the medium of communication with the 
world of strangers. The city is built on the left bank of the 
river Vistula, and has a population of about two hundred and 
twenty-five thousand. The river is crossed to the suburb of 
Praga by a new and elegant bridge, nearly nineteen hundred 
feet long, and the main streets are broad but indifferently paved. 
The leading thoroughfare is the Cracow Faubourg, where the 
people promenade from Thorvaldsen's monument of Coperni- 
cus to the statue of King Sigismund III., in the square of 
the Zamek, or Royal Castle of the Masovian dukes and the 
Jagellon line. There some of the most beautiful women in 
the world may be seen, not merely an occasional one, but two 
or three in every block. Nearly all are of the darker types, 
and not many are aided by expensive costume, although the 
winter might alter that particular. For regular features, ani- 
mated expression, and superb figures they are unsurpassed by 
even the ladies of San Francisco. The Poles are perfectly 
aware of the beauty of their women, as even the poor driver 
of the drosky asked in bad French if we desired any pictures of 
the jolies femmes. We concluded to have a few, and upon so 
replying he drove to the gallery of the principal photographer. 
Our inquiry caused the attendant no surprise, his manner 
proving that our want was a frequent one in their sales. The 
cabinet photographs he exhibited were artistically executed 
and handsomely mounted. A number of fair faces were 
arrayed on the counter, but the salesman understood human 
nature too thoroughly to express any preference. He knew 
well that men's fancies of female loveliness differ, and therein 
Providence has bestowed an inestimable blessing. The ballet- 
erinas in the government theatres include some of the prettiest 



510 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

girls, and the Poles are renowned as stage-dancers. Unfortu- 
nately these places of amusement are closed during the summer, 
and hence we witnessed no polacca or other terpsichorean 
display. 

While the native Poles largely predominate in the popula- 
tion of Warsaw, the foreign element is at once perceptible. 
Russian soldiers, as might be expected, are conspicuous every- 
where, — on guard, in the cafes, lounging on the promenades, 
riding in the droskies, and in the salon de lecture of the hotel. 
Only the churches are without their presence, which is ex- 
plained by the fact that the Poles are intensely Roman Catho- 
lic in their creed, while the Russians are equally attached to 
the Greek faith. The former almost number millions in 
Poland, as against thousands of the latter. The hatred which 
the various divisions of the Catholic Church bear each other is 
greatly in excess of that existing between Protestant and Cath- 
olic. Jews are somewhat numerous in Warsaw, and, as is 
usually the case, they congregate in a section of their own. 
The Jewish quarter of a city is at best uninviting, and that 
of Warsaw is no exception to the rule. Those of Jeru- 
salem and Prague are worse, and that of Frankfort-on-the- 
Main probably better; but the choice in any instance is very 
unsavory. 

An excellent view of the city is had from the Citadel, which 
the Czar Nicholas constructed upon a commanding height to 
impress the Poles how easily their capital could be razed if the 
spirit of liberty became too demonstrative. Chief among the 
churches is the Cathedral of St. John, a Gothic edifice dating 
from the thirteenth century. More than a score of the palaces 
of the extinct Polish nobility are yet standing ; but their dingy 
appearance only serves to remind the sympathetic stranger of a 
shackled, mourning nation. Poor Poland ! A " climbing sor- 
row" that will not down. The Observatory and the Botanical 
Gardens are points of interest for those of scientific inclinations, 



POLAND. 511 

and Thorvaldsen's monument of Copernicus arrests the devotee 
of art. The great astronomer was born at Thorn, in Prussia, 
then a part of Poland, in 1473. He received his education at 
the University of Cracow, and died at Frauenberg in 1543, 
where his remains lie in the brick cathedral, marked by a 
simple tablet bearing a globe. Although he created the Coper- 
nican system, his theories were scarcely more than crude and 
conjectural until matured by the genius of Galileo, Kepler, and 
Newton. 

The suburban palace of Lazieuki, though not ostentatious, is 
one of the prettiest of royal residences. It was built by King 
Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski, and is now reserved as the 
residence of the Russian emperor during his rare visits to 
Warsaw. The Castle of Villanova, the home of John So- 
bieski, the hero of Vienna, is also reached by a pleasant drive, 
passing by the Belvedere, which is occupied by the governor- 
general. 

In the native tongue the word Poland becomes Polska, a 
plain, a title which indicates the nature of the country, as is 
the case in the application of the term Netherlands, or Pays 
Bas, to Holland. Upon leaving Warsaw by rail the line tra- 
verses a section almost as level as a prairie, but withal pretty 
and well cultivated. The journey to Vienna consumes nearly 
nineteen hours, necessitating another night in a railway car- 
riage. Within Poland the course is through Petrikow and 
Czenstochowa, both dull towns. At Granica, on the Russian 
border, passports are carefully examined, and a few minutes later 
the train enters the Austrian dominions at Szczakowa. The 
traveller here submits to an examination of his luggage, but for- 
tunately he is not required to pronounce the name of the place. 
Usually upon crossing a frontier we sought the buffet in the 
station to exchange a small amount of money for immediate 
requirements. Adopting this plan in the present instance, we 
were compelled to suffer a heavy discount in converting ruble 



512 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

notes into Austrian guldens,* or florins, although the latter are 
also of paper, and current below the coin value. After leaving 
Szczakowa the country traversed, amid a network of railway 
connections, embraces portions of Galicia, Silesia, Moravia, and 
Lower Austria, passing through Trzebinia, Oswieczim, Dzieditz, 
Oderberg, Prerau, Lundenburg, Ganserndorf, and Wagram. 
The last, a village ten miles northeast of Vienna, was the scene 
of Napoleon's victory over the Austrians, under the Archduke 
Charles, July 5 and 6, 1809. The result led to the fourth 
treaty of Vienna, by which Austria was shorn of territory with 
three million five hundred thousand population, and every sea- 
port of the empire. A short distance beyond Wagram the 
Gothic tower of St. Stephen's comes in view, and soon the prin- 
cipal arm of the Danube is crossed. Two miles farther on, 
situated on a loop of the river called the Danube Canal, is 
Vienna. 

* The current gulden is worth from forty-two to forty-four cents, ac- 
cording to the fluctuation ; par in coin being equal to about fifty cents. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



VIENNA. 



The Austrian capital, with its grand avenues of new and 
imposing buildings, is probably the handsomest city in Europe, 
Paris scarcely excepted. At least, so we thought while driving 
from the Northern Station around the beautiful Ringstrasse to 
the Grand Hotel, after nineteen hours of railroading from 
Warsaw. Remembering the fatigues and discomforts of Rus- 
sian travel, it was Elysium to be installed in a cheerful apart- 
ment, free of microscopic intruders, and overlooking the choicest 
section of the Ringstrasse. In truth, Vienna abounds with 
superb hotels, and only a purse is needed to secure luxury. 
The servants usually speak a little of three or four languages, 
and the attendance is excellent, each man being uniformed 
according to his function. The femme de chambre is the very 
picture of neatness, arrayed in her faultless chintz dress, cap, 
and apron. Judging by the number of comely maids, the 
hotel managers must consider their personal appearance when 
engaging them. They study the traveller's habits, and lead 
him into laziness by their watchfulness. Always on the qui 
vive, they unlock doors, light candles, and supply spotless 
towels without limit. During the evening a modest tap is ac- 
companied by the inquiry if the beds may be arranged for the 
night. The day spreads are smoothly folded, and the covers 
invitingly turned down, when, with a little courtesy, comes the 
respectful " Bon soir." Touched with kindness, the wanderer 
responds with the cheerfulness of a man to whom the bright 

513 



514 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

side of the world is turned for an instant ; and then the door 
gently closes. A reverie follows, and the mind ponders on the 
power of little things to brighten the thoughts when those same 
little things happen to touch the right chords of human nature. 
Goethe says : 

" As the weaver's work is wrought, 
Even so is formed the web of thought ; 
One movement leads a thousand threads, 
Unseen they move, as now above 
The shuttle darts — now darts below ; 
One beat combines a thousand twines, 
And not unlike would seem the flow 
Of mind, when Nature thinks in us." 

Vienna is prolific of amusement for all classes, whether res- 
idents or strangers. The Volksgarten, with its life and music, 
is a delightful retreat for a summer evening. Here the uni- 
versal beverage is Vienna beer ; delicious, clear, and foaming. 
None other in the world is so light and palatable. Edward 
Strauss leads the orchestra, but his ability is only mediocre. 
His brother John — the great Strauss — wields the baton only 
on great occasions. Edward also presides at the Stadt Park 
during the musical season. Joseph Strauss is dead. The 
Hofgarten, in which stands the imposing monument to the 
Emperor Francis I., is the promenade of the aristocracy, and 
the Town Park and the gardens of the Belvedere are likewise 
beautiful breathing-spots. Vienna also has reason to be proud 
of the Prater, the site of the International Exposition of 1873, 
about fifteen minutes' easy driving from the Ringstrasse. Of 
the Exhibition buildings, only the Aquarium and the Rotunda 
now remain, the latter a circular structure with a glass dome, 
which formed the centre of the group. Outside the grounds 
are lines of cafes, where the people assemble on Sunday nights. 
While we were resting at one of these, a friend living in 
Vienna related a novel incident of the Exposition. A chef de 



VIENNA. 515 

cuisine laid a wager that he could kill, cook, and eat a spring 
chicken in the space of five minutes, and a day was appointed 
for the trial. The cook had everything carefully prepared to 
facilitate his work, and in the presence of many witnesses ac- 
complished the task with seventeen seconds to spare. His 
knives were keen and the water boiling when he despatched 
the fowl, and after removing it from the fire an immersion in 
icy cold water obviated any delay in eating on account of heat. 

The kaffeehaus and bier halle occupy an important place in 
Vienna life. These resorts are found everywhere, and among 
those in the new quarters many are most inviting. The choice 
places are outside, under the awnings or within the slender 
hedge of plants, — not in gardens, but on the streets. There 
the Viennese sit for hours, with hats off, newspaper in one 
hand and cigar in the other. On the table is an ice, beer, or 
the rich coffee with its whipped cream. Every cafe is provided 
with any number of journals, on light rattan holders, and 
everybody reads them. After the coffee has been drunk, the 
kellner removes the waiter, and brings another with two glasses 
of water. Why each person should be furnished with two 
glasses of water is a mystery. Indeed, Vienna is almost the 
only Continental city where it occasions no surprise to ask for 
drinking-water. The explanation is, perhaps, that the fluid is 
purer here than elsewhere. 

" When at Rome, do as the Romans do," is a comfortable 
adage when applied to the habits and pleasures of Vienna. 
Let us take a vacant table at a kaffeehaus on the Graben, and 
enjoy the kaleidoscopic animation. The Graben is a broad 
street about three blocks in length, and in the heart of the 
city. A confused group called the Trinity Column stands in 
the middle, and many of the principal shops of the city are 
distributed along the thoroughfare. Displays of meerschaum, 
bronze, leather, jewelry, glass, and photographs predominate. 
The Universum is also there, an establishment where " wine, 



516 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

women, and song" are supreme, and fast life flourishes by gas- 
light during the small hours. At one end of the street is the 
Cathedral of St. Stephen with its rich and lofty Gothic spire. 
The moving objects on the Graben comprise officers in full 
uniform, civilians of several nations, ladies of different types, 
itinerant venders, the inevitable beggar, a score of wagons, and 
lastly the conspicuous demi-monde. The fallen sisters prom- 
enade throughout the entire day, and many of them possess a 
beauty of face and figure that should have insured honorable 
fortune instead of hopeless degradation. Viennese women in 
general are notably pretty and stylish, whether their origin be 
Slavic or Italian, Hungarian or German. 

Perhaps, while lingering over the coffee or beer, another 
picture is presented. Hats are raised, and an ostentatious 
funeral procession passes. A gaudy hearse is drawn by four 
horses, led by as many costumed grooms. Next come eight 
or ten lackeys, in black knee-breeches, dress-coats, sashes, and 
cocked hats, each bearing a large lighted candle, and then 
several huge, graceless coaches, draped in sombre cloth, and 
driven by men clad like the torch -bearers. We saw one funeral 
where the trimming of the hearse was a mass of blue merino, 
decked with tinsel stars. The family of poor people followed 
in a large wagonet, or bus, which carried a dozen or more. 

The Grand Opera House of Vienna is a splendid edifice, 
completed in 1869, and having a seating capacity of three 
thousand. Excepting that at Paris, it surpasses all others in 
Europe. Its facades, though elegant, convey no adequate 
conception of the magnitude of the building, as they are 
unfortunately deficient in elevation. The interior is pro- 
fusely embellished, and the arrangement excellent. Within 
the marble corridor at the entrance a pompous functionary, in 
gaudy livery and carrying a staff, stands as the guardian of 
order. The assistants of this inflated personage are neither 
so gorgeous in costume nor exalted in mien. Ushers and 



VIENNA. 517 

other attendants are numerous, and there is an absence of the 
annoying claque, which is considered indispensable in Paris. 
The applause is hearty, and emanates from the audience. 
Artificial currents of cooled air and the elevation of the gas- 
jets preserve a moderate temperature in the auditorium, even 
on the warmest nights. We witnessed a representation of 
Meyerbeer's " L'Africaine," in which the ship scene was a 
triumph in the mechanical line, and the ballet at once artistic 
and sumptuous. In Vienna the operatic season culminates 
from March to May, when the greatest of Italian and German 
singers are engaged. The Grand Opera House fronts on the 
Opern Ring, — a section of the Ringstrasse, — as well as on 
the Karnthner-Strasse, Opern-Gasse, and Augustiner-Gasse, 
— one of the choicest sites in the city. Turning to the 
dramatic stage of Vienna, we find a bevy of the prettiest 
actresses in Europe ; especially those at the Carl Theatre, where 
the management caters liberally for the Austrian love of gayety. 
"While not the most aristocratic resort, neither is it one to be 
designated as immoral. The plays are comedies, and merri- 
ment is king within its walls. Photographs of the Carl, Stadt, 
and other professionals are temptingly displayed in the shops 
on the Graben and along the Karnthner-Strasse, many being 
colored in the most detailed manner. 

Several days may be pleasantly occupied among the sights 
of Vienna. Both the upper and lower palaces of the Bel- 
vedere contain eminent collections of paintings, armor, an- 
tiquities, and weapons. The Liechtenstein, Albertina, Har- 
rach, Schonborn, Czernin, and other private galleries, as well 
as the Academy of Art and the permanent exhibition of the 
Austrian Art Union, afford an abundant field for the con- 
noisseur. Then the Arsenal, the summer palace in the suburb 
of Schonbrunn, the Imperial Stables, and the antique Burg, 
or palace, — the nursery of the Hapsburgs, — form another 
group of attractions. 



518 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

Lighted by a taper in the hands of one of the brothers, we 
descended to the gloomy crypt in the old Church of the Cap- 
ucines, where repose the imperial dead of Austria. In the dim 
light we picked our way among the metal sarcophagi, but not 
without banging against one and being startled by the ringing 
sound from such an object in such a place. At the extreme 
end of the vault the hooded monk stopped, and indicated in 
French that we were beside the casket of the Archduke Max- 
imilian, emperor of Mexico. Poor Maximilian ! The victim 
of the man who sought to menace the American Republic by 
establishing an empire on its borders ; the brother of the Aus- 
trian emperor, who exchanged a happy home and high position 
for the fatal illusion of a monarch's title. Driven from his 
throne, the schemer dies an exile, while the slaughtered prince 
is brought home to lie among his people. The love that was 
borne the archduke is evinced by offerings of fresh flowers, tied 
with broad white ribbons embroidered with gold, which are 
constantly renewed on his coffin. 

Near where Maximilian rests is the plain casket of the young 
Duke of Reichstadt, called by his august sire the King of Rome. 
He lies close to his grandfather, the Emperor Francis I., and 
directly beside his mother, Maria Louisa, wife of the great 
Napoleon. The most conspicuous sarcophagus in the crypt is 
one of silver bronze which encloses the great Empress Maria 
Theresa. This vault of the Capucines contains the bodies of 
the deceased Hapsburgs, while their bowels are deposited in 
the Cathedral of St. Stephen, and their hearts in the Church 
of the Augustines. In the last the rows of silver urns in 
which the hearts are placed can be seen through a small grating 
in the door of the cell. Standing in the dismal basement, sur- 
rounded by the coffins of the dead, and within sight of the 
urns, the sensation is so oppressive that it becomes a luxury to 
return to the genial, sunny streets of the animated, pleasure- 
loving city. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



THE HIGHWAY TO PARIS. 



The most direct course from Vienna to Munich is through 
Linz, Wels, and Simbach, the frontier station between Austria 
and Bavaria. Time permitting, the longer route by Salzburg, 
embracing portions of the Austrian Alps, will remunerate the 
traveller in grandeur of scenery. Munich is prominent as an 
art centre, embracing, as it does, the ateliers of many distin- 
guished painters. The Royal Academy numbers among its 
living professors such artists as Piloty and Dietz, while the 
roll of the dead includes the names of Kaulbach and Ramberg. 
Extensive collections of pictures fill the old and new Pinaco- 
theks, and the Glyptothek is almost equally rich in statuary. 
Much of the modern stained glass in European churches was 
produced at Munich, but the crown has now abandoned its 
manufacture. Apparently the royal factory is succeeded by a 
modest private establishment which is mainly engaged in work 
for ecclesiastical purposes. Located on the outskirts of the 
city is the celebrated bronze foundry, now managed by Prof. 
Ferd. von Miller, where Rogers' bronze doors in the capitol at 
Washington were executed. Here was cast Schwanthaler's 
gigantic statue of Bavaria, which stands on the Theresian 
Meadows, near the city. The figure is that of a female, sixty- 
nine feet in height, which may be ascended to the head by an 
interior stairway. A stone Doric colonnade, called the Hall 
of Fame, forms a background for this stupendous bronze. 

In the municipal cemetery, near the banks of the river Isar, 

519 



520 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

the unusual system prevails of exposing the dead to public view 
for a period of forty-eight hours, to insure against premature 
burial. Two apartments — one for the rich, the other for the 
poor — are fitted for the purpose with large glass sashes, through 
which the interior is visible. The coffins are placed upon tres- 
tles at an angle to show the face of the defunct, and surrounded 
with a profusion of flowers and burning candles. When these 
preparations are complete a cord is attached to one of the hands, 
and so arranged that the slightest movement will ring a bell 
overhead. Watchers are constantly on duty to give immediate 
attention in case any sign of life is displayed. Our local guide 
stated that the bells are sometimes rung by post-mortem mus- 
cular action, but in forty years' experience he remembered no 
instance of resuscitation. An official list hung on the wall 
outside furnishes the name and age of the deceased, as well as 
the time when the body was received, and the hour of burial. 
Those who have visited Munich will recall two rooms in the 
royal palace containing Joseph Stieler's portraits of the most 
beautiful women of Munich in the reign of Ludwig I. (1825- 
1848), by whose order they were painted. Among the thirty- 
six was one of Lola Montez, whose influence over the king 
mainly led to his abdication. His son and successor, Maxi- 
milian Joseph II., acceded to popular clamor, and removed 
the picture to the new Pinacothek, where it remained until the 
present youthful monarch, Ludwig II., mysteriously took it 
from the gallery. Whether it has been destroyed or merely 
hidden is said to be known only to himself; but as the king is 
eccentric to the extreme his action is attributed to that cause. 
As an example of his peculiarity, he refuses to attend the opera 
with the usual audience present, but requires performances to 
be given which he witnesses alone in the house. Photographs 
of this proscribed portrait are in such demand among travellers 
that at times dealers supply the unsuspecting with one of the 
three or four similar faces in the saloons. 



THE HIGHWAY TO PARIS. 521 

Resuming the journey westward through Augsburg and 
Ulm, the capital of Wurtemberg next invites attention. Stutt- 
gart is picturesquely located on the river Nesenbach near its 
junction with the Xeckar, and has a population of about ninety 
thousand. Although a place of mediaeval origin, most of the 
city is of recent construction, with broad and handsome streets, 
and ornamental squares. Stuttgart, to some extent, follows 
Munich in devotion to art, a taste evinced by its museum, 
where we find Hans Makart's celebrated " Cleopatra." The 
king's stables exhibit the extravagance of a petty sovereign 
who keeps two hundred horses in the city, and is credited with 
owning thirteen hundred elsewhere. Grooms, anxious to earn 
a gratuity, led out the favorites for our inspection, — animals of 
Arabian, French, American, English, Russian, and German 
stock. This fondness for horses on the part of King Charles 
is not unlike his father's inclination for expensive residences. 
Xot content with the old and new palaces, King William 
erected the costly villas known as the Wilhelma and the Ro- 
senstein. The Wilhelma is of Moorish design, with gardens 
and furniture to correspond ; even the pictures being confined 
to oriental subjects. The Rosenstein is classic in its outlines, 
and contains a wealth of art in canvas and marble. Both the 
statuary and paintings betray a partiality for female beauty in 
the garb of nature. These palaces are situated on the heights 
by the Xeckar, opposite Cannstatt, and about two miles from 
the city. Cannstatt makes some pretensions as a summer resort 
on account of its warm saline and chalybeate springs, and every 
September it is enlivened by the popular Canns tatter Volks- 
fest. 

One stride more and we have reached Strasburg, a German 
city upon the map, but French in the hearts of the people. The 
train crosses the Rhine at Kehl, whence the great spire of the 
cathedral rises grandly over the intervening plain. Strasburg 
impresses the stranger as a place of mourning. All classes 

34 



522 OUTLYING EUROPE AND THE NEARER ORIENT. 

view the change of government as a profound calamity, and 
shopkeepers declare that families of position and intelligence 
are rapidly leaving for homes on French soil. Business is 
apparently stagnated, and the hotels are gloomy and uninviting. 
The French names of the streets and squares have been re- 
placed by the German, and the uniforms of the new masters 
obtrude in every quarter. Evidences of the bombardment in 
1870 still remain, and they are likely to disappear very slowly. 
The military importance of the city is explained by a drive 
around the massive fortifications, which have lately been 
strengthened by new lines facing towards France. Storks 
continue to build their nests on the chimney-tops, but in 
greatly reduced numbers since the migration caused by the 
fiery ordeal of the siege. The habits of these huge birds, and 
especially their confidence in the presence of man, are both 
novel and entertaining to visitors. 

The injuries suffered by the stately cathedral during the late 
war have been repaired, but masons are constantly engaged in 
renewing stones crumbled with age. Owing to an insufficiency 
of railings about the spiral stairway, the task of climbing the 
perforated spire is rather venturesome for those of unsteady 
nerves, but if safely accomplished the magnificent view well 
repays the exertion. Daily, at noon, a group of travellers 
assemble before the famous clock to witness the procession of 
the disciples, hear the cock crow, and realize the movements 
so familiar to readers. In the old Church of St. Thomas, 
which contains Pigalle's splendid monument to Marshal Saxe, 
a curiosity is shown in the form of two bodies — said to be those 
of the Count of Nassau and his daughter — preserved in fair 
condition for more than four centuries. 

Strasburg is celebrated for the production of pates de foxes 
gras, a preparation of the liver of geese. Several establish- 
ments are engaged in canning this delicacy, which forms a 
prominent article of export. The liver is cut by a machine, 



THE HIGHWAY TO PARIS. 523 

compounded with certain condiments, and then placed over a 
fire. Previous to the season for killing, which is limited to 
winter, the geese are overfed and otherwise treated to enlarge 
the organ to abnormal proportions. 

The advantage of our route from Vienna to Paris now be- 
comes obvious. Strasburg and the French capital are almost 
on the same parallel, and a through train awaits us by the 
Chemin de fer de l'Est. Any other course would have implied 
a diversion not warranted by the scope of our theme. The 
glories of the Alps; the voyage of the Rhine; the story of 
central Germany ; the beauty of the Italian lakes ; the wealth 
of travel beneath the sunny skies of Italy, are all denied re- 
cital. Our mission was complete with Poland, for thereafter 
we were upon the popular thoroughfares of the Continent. 
Nothing remained but to glance hastily at the salient features 
of the panorama on the highway back to Paris. Twelve hours 
on the rail through Nancy, Chalons-sur-Marne, and Epernay ; 
across one of the richest countries of the world ; over the 
territory of our sister republic, and we are at the Gare de 
Strasbourg, in Paris. 

The goal is reached ; the narrative finished, save a grateful 
acknowledgment for the beneficence of Providence on many a 
sea, in many a clime, and under many a flag. 



INDEX. 



Aalborg, Denmark, 417. 

Aarhuus, Denmark, 416. 

Abbaside Calipbs, 67. 

Abdallah, father of Mohammed, 68. 

Abdeen, Cairo, 48. 

Abd-el-Latyf, 42. 

Abd-el-Muttaiib, grandfather of Mo- 
hammed, 68. 

Abdul Aziz, Sultan, 237. 

Abdul Hamid, Sultan, 237. 

Abdu-r-rahman, 316. 

Abencerrages, hall of, Granada, 308. 

Abo, Finland, 453. 

Abooser, pyramids of, 88. 

Aboo Simbel, temple of, 137. 

Abraham, the patriarch, 53, 68, 71, 72, 
202. 

Abu-Bekr, 80. 

Abu G6sh, 156. 

Abu Talib, uncle of Mohammed, 69. 

Abydos, Egypt, 63, 121. 
Turkey, 222. 

Abyssinia, 69, 88. 

Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, 481. 

Achenbach, A. and 0., 406, 462. 

Achmedieh, mosque of, 68, 231.. 

Aci Reale, Sicily, 261. 

Acradina, Sicily, 277. 

Acropolis, Athens, 242, 248, 249, 250, 
493. 
Baalbek, 198. 

Act of Kalmar, 418. 

Adam, 72. 

Adan, or call to prayer, 73. 



Adieus, Russian, 489. 

Admiralty, St. Petersburg, 481. 

Adoration of the Magi, altar of, 16S. 

Adrian (see Hadrian). 

Adytum of a temple, 132. 

.Eneas, 220. 

Molxis, God of the Winds, 266. 

JEschylus, 250. 

.Etna, Mount, 36, 258, 260. 

Affonso Henriques, King, 330. 

Africa, exploration of, 63. 

Mohammedanism in, 67. 
African coast, 37, 288. 
Agamemnon, King, 220, 221. 
Agriculture in Norway, 431. 
Agrigentum, 272. 
Alambra, Cyprus, 208. 
Alans, 329. 

Alaric, King of Visigoths, 377. 
Albacin, Granada, 312. 
Alberca, Court of, Alhambra, 307. 
Alcaiceria, Granada, 311. 
Alcazaba, Granada, 310. 
Alcazar, Cordova, 318. 

Seville, 299. 

Toledo, 351. 
Alexander the Great, 41, 187, 214, 215. 

L, Czar, 482, 508. 
Alexandria, 37, 39. 
Alexandrian Column, St. Petersburg, 

482. 
Alexis, Czar of Russia, 491. 
Alfonso VI. of Spain, 361. 

VII. of Spain, 353. 

XII. of Spain, 320, 345, 357. 
Algerian Arabs, 78. 

525 



526 



INDEX. 



Alguazil, 323. 

Alhambra, Granada, 304-310, 493. 

Gardens, Stockholm, 449. 
All Effendi, U. S. Consul, 103, 120. 
Allah, 82. 

Alliance, U. S. steamer, 242, 246. 
Almaden, Spain, 343. 
Alps, 523. 

Alster, basin of, 405. 
Altona, 406. 
Alva, duke of, 389. 
Amada, Nubia, 141. 
Amager, island of, 411. 
Amathunta, Cyprus, 208. 
Amazons, 213, 214. 
Amber, 467. 

room, 489. 
Amboise, France, 377. 
Amenemha IL, 96. 

III., 94. 
Ameni-Amenemha, tomb of, 96. 
American Presbyterian Mission in Syria, 
196. 

Relations, Hamburg's, 405. 
Amina, Mohammed's mother, 68. 
Amman, Perasa, 164. 
Amontillado wine, 295, 315. 
Amphitrite, 241. 
Amstel River, 396. 
Amsterdam, 396-400, 446. 
Amunoph III., 107, 109, 141. 
Amun-Ra, the god, 45, 106, 107, 115, 

128, 139. 
Anadolou Hissar, 235. 
Ananias, 194. 
Anasieh, Egypt, 95. 
Anatolia, 75. 
Andalusia, 292-318. 
Andersen, Hans Christian, 410, 417. 
Andrade, Fernao Peres de, 330. 
Androclus, 214. 
Andromeda, 150. 
Andros, isle of, 241. 
Angouleme, France, 377. 
Anne, Empress of Russia, 495. 
Anouke, the deity, 139. 



Antenor, 220. 

Antigonus, 214. 

Anti-Lebanon Mountains, 185. 

Antinoe, 97. 

Antinoiis, 97. 

Antiochus the Great, 214. 

Antoinette, Marie, 26. 

Antoninus Pius, 197. 

Antwerp, 388-391. 

Anubis, the god, 139. 

Apis Mausoleum, 92. 

Apollinopolis Magna, temple of, 113. 

Apollo, the god, 210, 241. 

Apop, the deity, 140. 

Apostles' Spring, 160. 

Aqueduct of Lisbon, 331. 

Arab dinner, an, 47. 

Arabia, 66, 71. 

Arabian Pantheon, destroyed, 71. 

Aranjuez, Spain, 343, 350. 

Arapiles, Spanish war vessel, 347. 

Arc de Triomphe, Paris, 381. 

Arc, Jeanne d', 378. 

Arcachon, France, 376. 

Arch of St. Mary, Burgos, Spain, 364. 

Archimedes, 276. 

Archipelago, 210-219, 240-242, 257. 

Arctic Expedition, 437. 

Ocean, 437. 
Areopagus, Court of, 254. 
Arethusa, story of, 278. 
Argonauts, 235. 
Aries, France, 32. 
Armorers of Toledo, 353. 
Armory, Royal, Madrid, 347. 

of Seraglio, Constantinople, 232. 
Arnhem, 401. 
Arsenal of Moscow, 499. 
Arsinoe, 214. 

Art Museum, Brussels, 385. 
Artemis (see Diana). 
Ascent of the Nile, 84. 
Assault and battery in Egypt, 52. 
Assioot, Egypt, 98, 123. 
Assouan, Egypt, 84, 116. 
Asteria, the goddess, 241. 



INDEX. 



527 



Astrakhan, Russia, 491. 

Atar Amun, King, 126. 

Athena, 252. 

Athens, 243-256. 

Athor, the goddess, 55, 100, 108, 117, 

131, 139. 
Atocha, church of, Madrid, 345. 
Attalus Philadelphus, 214. 

Philoniator, 214. 
Auberges of Knights of St. John, Malta, 

283. 
Augsburg, 521. 
Aurelian, Emperor, 195. 
Austria, 511-518. 

Austrian Lloyd steamers, 149, 204, 241. 
Autoridad of Bull-fight, 322. 
Avasaxa, Lapland, 453. 
Avenue de FOpera, Paris, 25. 
Avignon, 31. 
Avila, Spain, 358. 
Ayasolook, Asia Minor, 214. 
Ayesha, Mohammed's wife, 70, 71. 
Azambuja, Diogo d', 330. 
Azulejos, 294, 307, 331. 



Baal, 197, 198. 

followers of, 74, 197. 
Baalbek, 197-202. 
Babelsberg Palace, Germany, 464. 
Bab-el-Wady, Palestine, 155. 
Babi Humaioom, 227. 
Baboons of Gibraltar, 290. 
Bacon, Lord, 312. 
Badajos, Spain, 328. 
Badis Ibn Habus, 304. 
Bagdad, 195. 

Bahira, the Nestorian monk, 69, 79. 
Bahr Lut, 162. 
Baksheesh, 40, 52, 74, 476. 
Balaam, 197. 
Balak, 197. 

Balleterinas, Polish, 509. 
Balm of Gilead, 61. 
Baltic Sea, 446, 453, 455. 
Baltzar von Platen, Baron, 438, 445. 



Banderilleros, 321. 
Barber of Seville, 301. 
Barbers, Swedish female, 443. 
Barere Bertrand, 30. 
Barrage of the Nile, 105. 
Basque Provinces, 365. 
Bassin d'Arcachon, 376. 
Bastinading in Egypt, 89. 
Bates, Miss E. Katharine, 124. 
Baths of Damascus, 190. 
Bavaria, 519. 

statue of, 519. 
Bavieca, horse of the Cid, 362. 
Bayezid II., mosque of, 230. 
Bayonet, invention of, 370. 
Bayonne, France, 369. 
Bayt-el-Wally, temple of, 130. 
Bazaars, Oriental, 40, 48, 54, 188, 189, 

213, 233. 
Beaconsfield, Lord, 147, 207. 
Beaune, France, 29. 
Bedouin Arabs, 58, 59. 
Bedr, battle of, 70. 
Bedreshayn, Egypt, 88, 89. 
Beds, Norwegian, 432. 
Beer Yoosef, Cairo, 52. 
Beiram, festival of the, 77, 239. 
Beirut, 57, ISO. 
Beka'a, valley of, 185, 196. 
Belem, Lisbon, 334. 
Belgian Expedition to Africa, 64. 
Belgium, 384-391. 
Belleforest, Francois de, 420. 
Bells of Moscow, 495, 496. 
Belmez, Spain, 32S. 
Beloi-Gorod, Moscow, 493. 
Belvedere, palace of, Vienna, 517. 

Tower, Stockholm, 449. 
Belzoni's tomb, 106. 
Beni Hassan, grottos of, 96, 319. 
Benisooef, Egypt, 94. 
Bentheim, Germany, 402. 
Berg, Sweden, 445. 
Berlin, 456-462. 

Beruadotte, the marshal-king, 423, 451. 
Bernardine Nunnery, 319. 



528 



INDEX. 



Besika Bay, 219. 

Bessel, Prof., the astronomer, 467. 

Bethany, 160, 491. 

Bethel, 176. 

Bethlehem, 167. 

Biarritz, France, 368. 

Bibbeh, Egypt, 95. 

Bidassoa River, 366. 

Bier Halle, Vienna, 515. 

Biggeh, Egypt, 44, 119. 

Binnen-Alster of Hamburg, 405. 

Black Horse Square, Lisbon, 333. 

Prince, 377. 

Stone of the Ka'aba, 76. 
Bleikeller of Bremen, 404. 
Bliss, Daniel, D.D., 182. 
Bliicher, Marshal, 388. 
Boabdil, King, 304, 347. 
Boars, wild, in Holy Land, 163. 
Bodies preserved, 404, 522. 
Bois de Boulogne, Paris, 381. 
Boleslas I. of Poland, 506. 
Bolkesjo, Norway, 430. 
Bonaparte, Joseph, king of Spain, 320, 
347, 365. 

King Louis, 397. 

Napoleon (see Napoleon). 
Book of the Dead, 115. 
Bordeaux, 372. 
Boren Lake, Sweden, 445. 
Borodino, battle of, 503. 
Bosphorus, 223, 235. 
Bossuet, Jacques Benigne, 26. 
Bostra, 69. 
Bouillabaisse, 34. 

Bouillon, Godfrey de, sword of, 171. 
Boulak Museum, Cairo, 54. 
Bounarbaski, the Troad, 219. 
Bowwab, or doorkeeper of a mosque, 74. 
Bozzaris, Marco, 243. 
Braganca diamond, 400. 

house of, 330, 331. 
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, 456. 

New, 455. 
Brazil, discovery of, 330. 
Bremen, 402, 409. 



Bremerhaven, 403. 

Brest-Litovsk, 503. 

Brick architecture, Lubeck, 408. 

Bridge, Roman, at Cordova, Spain, 318. 

over the Garonne, at Bordeaux, 
372. 
British war vessels in Turkish waters, 

223. 
Bronze foundry, Munich, 519. 

Period, 413. 
Bruloff, artist, 480. 
Brussels, 384-387. 
Bubastis, Egypt, 144. 
Buen Retiro, gardens of, Madrid, 344. 
Buffet, Egyptian railway, 46. 

Russian railway, 469. 
Buglose, France, 371. 
Bulgarian prisoners at Beirut, 184. 
Bull-fight, 319-327. 

in Portugal, 332. 
Bull-rings, 320. 
Bulls, breeds of Spanish, 321. 
Bunsen, Chevalier, 60, 62. 
Burgos, Spain, 360. 
Burgundy, 26. 

Prince Henry of, 330. 

wines, 27. 
Burial of a Mohammedan, 45. 
Buried church in Jutland, 417. 
Burning of Moscow, 492. 
Burton, Richard Francis, 43. 
Buyukdere, Turkey, 235. 
Byron, Lord, 179, 243, 301, 337, 371, 484. 
Byzantium, 67, 71, 226. 
Byzas, 226. 

C. 

Cabral, Pedro Alvarez, 330. 
Cadiz, Spain, 293. 
Csesar, Julius, 43, 319. 
Cafes, oriental, 40. 

Spanish, 297. 

Russian, 501. 

Viennese, 515. 
Caique, the Turkish, 225. 
Cairo, 48, 68, 75, 123. 



INDEX. 



529 



Calendars, Greek and Latin, 256, 502. 
Caliphs, Tombs of the Seven, Cairo, 58. 
Call to prayer, Moslem, 73. 
Calvin, John, birthplace of, 383. 
Calypso, grotto of, 2S4. 
Cambyses, the Persian, 110. 
Camels, 58, 75, 126, 153, 195. 
Camphausen, fm., artist, 406, 462. 
Canal, Caledonian, 439. 

Fresh Water, Egypt, 144. 

Gotha, 438-446. 

steamer, 43S. 

Suez, 145-149. 
Canals of Amsterdam, 396, 446. 

Gothenburg, 437. 

Hague, 394. 

Hamburg, 405. 

Stockholm, 446. 

Venice, 396, 446. 
Cannstatt, 521. 
Cannstatter Yolksfest, 521. 
Canute the Great of Denmark, 418. 
Cape of Good Hope, 64, 330. 
Capernaum, 276. 

Capucines, church of, Vienna, 518. 
Caravans, 58, 75, 153, 195, 196. 
Cariole of Xorway, 426. 
Carl theatre, Vienna, 517. 
Carmo, church of, Lisbon, 332. 
Carpio family residence, 318. 
Carthage, Africa, 288, 329. 
Carthusian convent, 362. 
Cartouche in Egyptology, 101. 
Carts, Portuguese, 334. 
Cartuja, Granada, 313. 
Caryatides, 253. 
Casimir IV. of Poland, 506. 
Castilian Usurpation, 330. 
Catacombs of Syracuse, 277. 
Catania, Sicily, 258, 274. 
Cataracts of the Xile, 42, 119, 136. 
Cathedral at Aarhuus, Denmark, 417. 

Antwerp, 389. 

Bayonne, France, 370. 

Bordeaux (St. Andre), 373. 

Bremen, 404. 



Cathedral at Brussels, 385. 

Burgos, Spain, 362. 

Catania, Sicily, 259. 

Dijon (St. Benigne), 27. 

Granada, Spain, 312. 

Lisbon, 331. 

Lyons (St. Jean), 31. 

Macon (St. Pierre), 29. 

Messina (Our Lady of the Letter), 
264. 

Monreale, Sicily, 268. 

Moscow (Annunciation), 499. 
(Archangel Michael), 498. 
(Assumption), 497. 
(St. Basil), 499. 

Novgorod (St. Sophia), 490. 

Osnabriick, 402. 

Pskov, Russia, 470. 

Seville, Spain, 298. 

Strasburg, 522. 

St. Petersburg (Our Lady of 
Kazan), 484. 
(St. Isaac's), 472, 484. 
(St. Peter and St. Paul), 483. 

Toledo, Spain, 351. 

Upsala, Sweden, 452. 

Valladolid, Spain, 360. 

Vienna (St. Stephen), 576. 

Warsaw (St. John), 510. 
Catherine the Great of Russia, 4 72, 482, 
489. 

de Medicis, 378. 
Catherineholm, Sweden, 454. 
Cattegat, 417, 421. 
Cavaignac, General, 383. 
Cayster River, Asia Minor, 216. 
Cecropium, Athens, 253. 
Cemetery at Messina, 265. 

Munich, 520. 
Ceos, isle of, 242. 
Cepheus, 150. 

Ceres, the planet, discovery of, 268. 
Cervante3 Saavedra, Miguel de, 359. 
Cesnola, Gen. L. P. di, 206. 
Cespedes, Pablo de, artist, 317. 
Chai, Russian, 476. 



530 



INDEX. 



Chalons-sur-Marne, 523. 

sur-Sa6ne, 29. 
Champ de Mars, Paris, 25, 381. 
Champollion, 43. 

Champs Elysees, Paris, 25, 247, 382. 
Changarnier, General, 383. 
Chantilly, France, 382. 
Chapel of the Raising of the Cross on 

Calvary, 157. 
Chapter CIV. of the Koran, 79. 
Character of Mohammed, 82. 
Chares of Lindus, 211. 
Charities of Amsterdam, 397. 
Charlemagne, 402, 405. 
Charles II. of England, 395. 

V., Emperor of Germany, and 

First of Spain, 211, 304, 347, 348, 

350, 354, 355, 357. 

III. of Spain, 320. 

IV. of Spain, 320, 346, 357. 

XII. of Sweden, 438, 451, 484, 
506. 

XIII. of Sweden, 423. 

XIV. of Sweden, 423, 451. 

XV. of Sweden, 423. 

I. of Wurtemberg, 521. 
Charlottenburg royal palace, 459. 
Charybdis, 263. 
Chateau d'lf, Marseilles, 33. 

Lafitte claret, 374. 

Margaux claret, 374. 

Yquem Sauterne, 376. 
Chemin de Fer de l'Est, 523. 

du Nord, 382. 

de Paris a Lyon et a, la Mediter- 
ranee, 26. 

de la Corniche, 33. 
Cheops, the Great Pyramid, 60. 
Cherith, brook of, 165. 
China, 67. 

discovery of, 330. 
Chittim, 207. 

Choisy-le-Roi, France, 378. 
Cholera in Mecca, 78. 
Chonso, the god, 115, 129. 
Christ in the Koran, 79. 



Christian IX. of Denmark, 411, 418. 

IV. of Sweden, 422. 
Christian Mediaeval Period, 413. 
Christiania, Norway, 422. 

Fjord, 422. 
Christianity, early, 83. 
Christiansborg palace, Copenhagen, 412. 
Christina, Queen of Sweden, 453. 
Christmas at sea, 36. 
Christopher III. of Denmark, 418. 

IV. of Denmark, 418. 
Chudova, Russia, 490. 
Chulos, 321. 
Church of Atocha, Madrid, 345. 

Capucines, Vienna, 518. 

Carmo, Lisbon, 332. 

Coptic, Cairo, 57. 

Frue, Copenhagen, 415. 

Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 157, 
171. 
Voskresenski, 492. 

Nativity, Bethlehem, 168. 

New, Amsterdam, 397. 

Our Lady, Copenhagen, 415. 

Riddarholms, Stockholm, 450. 

San Gregorio, Messina, 265. 

Santa Maria la Blanca, Toledo, 351. 

St. Croix, Bordeaux, 373. 

St. Jacques, Antwerp, 390. 

St. John, Malta, 282. 

St. Lazarus, Larnaka, 208. 

St. Mary, Bethlehem, 168. 
Lubeck, 408. 

St. Michel, Bordeaux, 373. 
Dijon, 26. 

St. Nicholas, Hamburg, 406. 

St. Nizier, Lyons, 31. 

St. Paul, Antwerp, 390. 

St. Roque, Lisbon, 332. 

St. Saviour, Christiania, 422. 

St. Thomas, Strasburg, 522. 
Cid Campeador, 347, 361, 364. 
Cimmerians, 214. 
Cintra, Portugal, 336. 
Circassian outcasts at Beirut, 183. 
Circumcision in the Koran, 74. 



INDEX. 



531 



Citadel of Cairo, 51, 52. 

Damascus, 193. 

Jerusalem, 158. 

Messina, 264. 

Warsaw, 510. 
Citium, Cyprus, 208. 
Citta Vecchia, Malta, 283. 
Ciudad Real, Spain, 343. 
Claret, 374. 

Classification of Bordeaux wines, 374. 
Claude Lorraine, 348. 
Claudius, the Emperor, 113. 
Cleopatra, Queen, 118. 
Cleopatra's Needle, 41, 42, 43. 
Climate of Egypt, 90. 
Clock at Lubeck, 408. 

Strasburg, 522. 
Clovis, King of France, 377. 
Coal fields of Belgium, 384. 
Cognac, France, 377. 
Coimbra, Portugal, 340. 
Collecting taxes in Egypt, 89. 
Cologne, Germany, 401. 
Colonne du Congres, Brussels, 385. 
Colossi of Thebes, 107. 
Colossus of Rhodes, 211. 
Columbus, Christopher, 314, 347, 348, 

359, 360. 
Column of Constantine, burnt, Con- 
stantinople, 233. 

the Three Serpents, Constanti- 
nople, 233. 
Comares, tower of, Granada, 307. 
Comino, island of, 285. 
Commander of the Faithful, 67. 
Commerce of Antwerp, 391. 

Smyrna, 213. 
Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, 

25, 34, 179. 
Compiegne, France, 383. 
Concordia Theatre, Constantinople, 233. 
Concubinage in the Koran, 75. 
Conde, Louis II., de Bourbon, 383. 
Conflagration, a provincial, 27. 
Congo River, 64. 
Constantine the Great, 226, 228, 233. 



Constantinople, 67, 225-239, 240- 
Consulate of the United States at Da- 
mascus, 188. 

Luxor, 103. 
Convention Palace, Cintra, Portugal, 

339. 
Copenhagen, 411-416. 
Copernicus, 467, 511. 

Thorvaldsen's monument to, 414, 
511. 
Coptic church, Cairo, 57. 
Coray of Scio, 243. 
Cordova, Gonzalo de, 347. 

Spain, 315. 
Cork convent, Cintra, Portugal, 338. 
Cornaro, Caterina, 207. 
Cornelius, Peter von, artist, 406. 
Corsica, 35. 

Cortes, Hernando, 328, 347. 
Cortes, Spanish, 349. 
Cost of the Nile voyage, 85. 
Coster, Laurens Janszoon, 396. 
C&te d'Or, 26. 

Cottage of Peter the Great, St. Peters- 
burg, 483. 
Cours du Pave des Chartrons, Bor- 
deaux, 373. 
Coutinho, 330. 
Covering for the Ka'aba, 76. 
Cracow, 508. 

Faubourg, "Warsaw, 510. 
Creil, France, 383. 
Crescent, origin of the, 67. 
Crocodile, a live, 132. 

mummy pits, 97. 
Crocodilopolis, 94, 95, 116. 
Croesus, King of Lydia, 214, 215. 
Cronstadt, Russia, 453, 487. 
Crops in Egypt, 88. 
Crusaders, 154, 330. 
Crypt of Church of Nativity, Bethle- 
hem, 168. 
Ctesiphon, 215. 
Curium, Cyprus, 208. 
Current money at Alexandria, 39. 
Cyanean rocks, 235. 



532 



INDEX. 



Cyclades, 241. 
Cynthos, isle of, 242. 
Cyprus, 2 05-2 JO. 
Cyrus the Great, 214. 
Czargrad, 227. 
Czarniecki, Stephen, 506. 

D. 

Dabod, Nubia, 126. 
Dagbog, Norwegian, 430. 
Dahabeeah, the, 84, 120, 125, 142. 
Dakkeh, Nubia, 132. 
Dale, Rev. Gerald F., Jr., 196, 203. 
Damanhoor, Egypt, 46. 
Damascus, 54, 75, 186-195. 
Dance of Death, Holbein's, 408. 
Dancing Dervishes, 56, 233. 

Girls of the Nile, 111. 
Danish steamer Christiania, 421. 
Dannebrog, the, 41 9. 
Danube River, 66, 512. 
Dardanelles, city and strait of, 221. 
Dardanus, 220. 
Dashoor, pyramids of, 88, 93. 
Dates, Egyptian, 99. 
David, King, 157, 186. 
Davoust, Marshal, 405. 
Dax, France, 371. 
Dayr-el-Bahree, Thebes, 107. 
Dayr-el-Medeeneh, Thebes, 108. 
Dead Sea, 161. 
Death in Nubia, a, 137. 
Defregger, the artist, 406. 
Delaroche, Paul, 406. 
Delft, Holland, 393. 
Delos, isle of, 241. 
Delta capital, the old, 90. 
Demeter, the goddess, 255. 
Demosthenes, 254. 

lantern of, 250. 
Denderah, Egypt, 100. 
Denmark, 410-420. 
Denon, Dominique Vivant, 43. 
Derr, Nubia, 140. 

Dervishes, Dancing and Howling, 55. 
De Soto, Ferdinand, 348. 



Diamonds at Amsterdam, 398. 
Diana, 242. 

of Poitiers, 378. 

temple of, Ephesus, 213, 215. 
Dias, Bartholomeu, 330. 
Diaz, Don Rodrigo Ruy, 361. 
Dickson, Oscar, 437. 
Diction of the Koran, 79. 
Diet of the Hanseatic League, 408. 

Polish, 506. 

Swedish, 447. 
Dijon, France, 26. 
Diligence, a French, in Syria, 184. 
Dining, primitive, 47. 
Dinocrates, 215. 
Diocletian, Emperor, 45. 
Diodorus, 106. 
Dionysius, Ear of, 277. 
Divisions of the Koran, 78. 
Divorce in the Koran, 74. 
Divorced Woman in the Koran, 75. 
Dixon, John, 43. 
Djurgard of Stockholm, 449. 
Docks of Antwerp, 391. 

Hamburg, 406. 

Marseilles, 32. 
Dogs, Arab, 97. 

as workers in Belgium, 386. 

in Constantinople, 235. 
Dolma Bagtche, palace of, 232, 235, 237. 
Donkeys in Egypt, 49. 

Portugal, 337. 
Doorkeeper, or Bowwab of a mosque, 

74. 
Douga, the Russian, 475. 
Douglass family in Sweden, 445. 
Dow, Gerard, 395, 398. 
Dragoman, 84, 86, 143. 
Drammen, Norway, 428. 
Driving in Cairo, 49. 

Madrid, 345. 

St. Petersburg, 475. 
Dromos of a temple, 100. 
Droskies, 476. 

Drottningholm Palace, Sweden, 448. 
Druses, 181. 



INDEX. 



533 



Dryness of air on the Nile, 95. 
Dubuffe, artist, 395. 
Dumas, Alexandre, 33, 36. 
Dunaberg, Russia, 470. 



Ear of Dionysius, 277. 

Earthquake, great, of Lisbon, 330. 

Earthquakes in Messina, 263. 

Eastern Desert, 52, 58, 87. 

Eblfs of the Koran, 72. 

Ecce Homo arch, Jerusalem, 158. 

Echoing cavern, 278. 

Edfoo, Egypt, 113. 

Edict of Nantes, revocation of, 26. 

Edinburgh, Duke and Duchess of, 281. 

Education in Greece, 246. 

Russia, 504. 
Edward I. of England, 363. 
Egypt, 39-149. 
Egyptian mythology, 114, 127. 

notions of modesty, 93. 
Ehram, the Moslem, 76. 
Eileithyia, Egypt, 113. 
El-Aksa, mosque of, 173. 
El-Azhar, mosque of, Cairo, 54, 68. 
Elba, 35. 

Elbe-Brucke, 404. 
Elbe River, 404, 405, 406. 
El-Bershesh, Egypt, 97. 
Elbhohe, Hamburg, 406. 
Electric light, 344, 382, 384. 
Elephantine, Egypt, 44, 116, 117. 
Eleusis, Greece, 225. 
Elisha, the prophet, 161. 
El-Islam, faith of, 66-83. 
Elsinore, Denmark, 418. 
Elvas, Portugal, 329. 
Elysian Fields of Attica, 247. 
Emancipation Act, Russian, 504. 
Emmaus, Palestine, 156. 
Emmerich, Prussia, 401. 
Englishmen on shipboard, 286. 
Enrique II. of Castile, 330, 353. 

III. of Castile, 353. 
Epernay, France, 523. 



Ephesus, 213. 

Epidemics in Constantinople, 236. 
Epipolaa, Sicily, 276. 
Equipment of a dahabeeah, 84. 

of a Nile steamboat, 86. 
Erasmus, 393. 

Erechtheum, Athenian Temple, 252. 
Erechtheus, 252. 
Erechthonius, 220. 
Ergamus, 132. 
Esbekeeyah, Cairo, 48, 59. 
Escorial, Spain, 354. 
Esculapius, chapel to, Philge, 119. 

temple of, Athens, 250. 
Girgenti, 273. 
Esneh, Egypt, 112. 
Estremadura, Spain, 328. 
Etampes, France, 378. 
Etna, Mount, 36, 258, 260. 
Eugenie, Empress of France, 328, 368. 
Euphrates River, 66. 
Euripides, 250. 
Eusebius, 129. 
Exposition, Paris, 25, 381. 

Vienna, 514. 
Extortion, Spanish, 315, 367. 
Eybub, mosque of, 68, 229. 



Fair of Spanish live stock, 295. 
Fasting in Ramadan, 75, 239. 
Fata Morgana, 263. 
Fayoom, Egypt, 94. 
Fellaheen of Egypt, 40, 89, 104. 
Female seminary at Beirut, 183. 
Femme de chambre, Viennese, 513. 
Ferdinand I. of Castile, 361. 

III. of Leon and Castile (saint), 301, 
316, 347, 352. 

V. and Isabella, King and Queen of 
Spain, 303, 304, 309, 312, 320, 
347, 348, 359, 363. 

VI. of Spain, 357. 

VII. of Spain, 357. 
Feshun, Egypt, 123. 

Festival of Beiram, Constantinople, 239. 



534 



INDEX. 



Festival of Mevlud, Constantinople, 

239. 
Fielding, Henry, the novelist, 334. 
Figaro, 301. 
Finland, Russia, 453. 
Finmarken, Norway, 427. 
Fire in Dijon, 27. 
Firmans, 53, 227, 231, 237. 
Fishwomen of Lisbon, 333. 
Flag of Denmark, 419. 

of Spain, 292. 

of the Prophet, 78. 
Fleece, Golden, 235. 
Flight of Mohammed, 70. 
Flint Period, 413. 
Florio steamers, 257, 280. 
Fontainebleau, 26. 
Forms before prayer, Moslem, 74. 
Fortifications of Gibraltar, 290. 
Foundling hospital of Moscow, 500. 
Fountain of Arethusa, Syracuse, 298. 

the Elephant, Catania, 260. 

Pretoria, Palermo, 267. 

at Peterhof, Russia, 488. 

at Potsdam, 463. 
France, 26-35, 367, 383, 523. 
Francis I. of France, 367, 
Franco-Prussian war, 380. 
Frankfort-on-the-Main, 409. 
Frauenburg, Prussia, 467. 
Frederick the Great, 458, 462, 463, 465, 
489. 

I. of Prussia, 459. 

William III. of Prussia, 459. 

VII. of Denmark, 418. 
Frederikshavn, Denmark, 417. 
Freya, the goddess, 452. 
Friday the Moslem Sunday, 72. 
Friesland, 401. 
Frogner, Norway, 425. 
Frontier, at the Austrian, 511. 

Belgian, 384. 

French, 367. 

German, 402. 

Portuguese, 328. 

Russian, 468. 



Frontier, at the Spanish, 366. 

Swedish, 436. 
Fugitives in Constantinople, 236. 
Funeral, Greek, in Constantinople, 236. 

Mohammedan, 45. 

of Prince Tcherkasky, 236. 

of a Russian officer, 236. 

Sicilian, 265. 

Viennese, 516. 

G. 

Gabriel, the Archangel, 69, 71, 72, 80, 

175. 
Gade, Consul-General, Norway, 422. 
Galata, Constantinople, 224. 
Galatea, the nymph, 262. 
Galilaea, Mount of, 159. 
Galilee, Sea of, 176. 
Galileo, 346. 
Gallei-y, National, of Berlin, 461. 

of paintings, Seville, 302. 
Gallipoli, Turkey, 222. 
Gama, Vasco da, 330, 334. 
Gaming in the Koran, 75. 
Garden of the Tuileries, Paris, 382. 
Gardens of Vienna, 514. 
Gare de Strasbourg, 523. 
Gatchina, Russia, 470. 
Geefs, Willem, 385. 
Generalife, palace of, Granada, 311. 
Genii of the Koran, 72. 
George I., King of Greece, 245, 411. 
Gerf Hassayn, temple of, 131. 
Germany, 401-409, 455-468, 519-523. 
Ger6me, the painter, 395, 481. 
Gertassi, Nubia, 127. 
Gethsemane, gardens of, 159, 170. 
Ghawazee, 99, 103, 111. 
Ghizeh, pyramids of, 51, 52, 59, 87. 
Ghizerah Palace, Cairo, 50. 
Giant's Mountain, Bosphorus, 235. 
Gibbon, the historian, 270, 320. 
Gibraltar, 289-291. 
Giralda, the, Seville, 298. 
Girding the sword of Osman, 68, 229. 
Girgenti, Sicily, 271. 






IXDEX. 



535 



Girondists, 30. 
Gjovik, Norway, 428. 
Gnesen, Prussia, 505. 
Gniezno, first Polish city, 505. 
God in the Koran, 80. 
Godfrey de Bouillon, 210, 3S6. 
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang, 514. 
Golden Gate, Jerusalem, 159. 

Horde, Khans of, 494. 

Horn, Constantinople, 68, 224, 240. 

Shell, Palermo, 266. 
Goldsmiths of Oporto, 341. 
Golgos, Cyprus, 208. 
Goliath, 156. 
Gomez, Ximena, 361. 
Gonzalez, Fernan, 364. 
Good Hope, Cape of, 64, 330. 
Goshen, land of, 62, 88. 
Goshorn, Director-General A. T., 448, 

454, 462. 
Gostanoi Dvor, 473, 499. 
Gotha Canal, 43S-445. 

River, 421, 437. 
Gothenburg, Sweden, 421, 437. 
Goths, 329, 423. 
Gousta Fjeld, Norway, 433. 
Government of Belgium, 384. 

Egypt, 89. 

Holland, 394. 

Sweden and Norway, 423, 424. 
Gozo, island of, 285. 
Graben of Vienna, 515. 



Granada, S 



pain. 



303-313. 



Grand army of Napoleon, 469. 
Granddaughter of the Prophet, mosque 

of, 74. 
Grand Hotel, Brussels, 384. 
Granica, Russian frontier, 511. 
Granite of Finland, 482, 4S5. 

Syene, 44. 
Granovitaia Palace, Moscow, 497. 
Grant, General Ulysses S., 25, 36, 65, 

120, 167, 171, 17S, 213, 243, 246, 431. 
Grant, Mrs. U. S., 171. 
Grape-vine in Palestine, 165. 
Grave of Mohammed, 72. 



Graves wine district, 375. 
Great Elector, 457, 460, 462. 
Great mosque of Damascus, 6S. 
Grefsen, baths of, Norway, 425. 
Gregory of Tours, 217. 
Gripsholm, Sweden, 448. 
Groningen, Friesland, 401. 
Grotto of Agony, 159. 

King's, 441. 

Milk, 169. 

the Nativity, 168. 

the Seven Sleepers, 217. 
Guinea, discovery of, 330. 
Guise, Due de, 378. 
Gum mastic, 212. 

Gustaf Adolfs Torg, Stockholm, 449. 
Gustavus Adolphus, 437, 438, 451. 

Wasa, 444, 452. 

IV. of Sweden, 423. 

Crown Prince of Sweden, 423, 431. 
Gutenberg, Thorvaldsen's monument 
to, 414. 

H. 

Haarlem, Holland, 395. 
Hadj, the Moslem, 77. 
Hadrian, 96, 97, 301. 

arch of, 249. 
Hadrur-Khan, 166. 
Haga Park, Stockholm, 449. 
Hagar, 77, 202. 
Hague, Holland, 393. 
Haifa, Palestine, 180. 
Hal, Belgium, 384. 
Hall of Columns, Karnak, 110. 
Halleberg, Mount, Sweden, 441. 
Ham, Castle of, 383. 
Hamburg, 405, 406. 
Hamlet, 419. 
Hamlet's grave, 419. 
Hammerfest, Norway, 427. 
Hanover, 403. 
Hanseatic cities, route to, 401. 

League, 405, 407, 408, 470. 
Haram of Mecca, 76. 
Haram-el-Kedab, 93. 



536 



INDEX. 



Haram-esh-Sherif, 173. 
Harhorsof Marseilles, 32. 
Hardanger Fjord, 428. 
Harmachis (see Hortts). 
Haro, Don Luis de, 367. 
Harold II. of Norway, 418. 
Haroun, 67. 

Harrison, Mr. Joseph, Jr., 490. 
Hasaneyn, mosque of, Cairo, 53. 
Hashim family (Mohammed's), 68. 
Hassan Pasha, palace and hareem of, 57. 
Hassclbacken, garden of, Stockholm, 

449. 
Hatasou, Queen, 42, 110. 
Haugsund, Norway, 428. 
Hauran, Syria, 181, 184. 
Hebron, Palestine, 170. 
Hecuba, Queen, 221. 
Hegira, the, 70. 
Heights of church spires, 407. 
Hejrah, the, 70. 
Helen, wife of Menelaus, 221. 
Helena, Empress, legend of, 275. 
Helgeandsholm, Stockholm, 451. 
Heliopolis, Egypt, 42, 52, 62. 

Syria, 197. 
Hell in the Koran, 79. 

Falls, Sweden, 441. 
Hellespont, 221. 
Helsingborg, Sweden, 418. 
Helsingfors, Pinland, 453. 
Helsingb'r, Denmark, 418. 
Heist, Van der, 397. 
Helwan, Egypt, 88. 
Hendaye, France, 367. 
Henna, 131. 

Henriques, Affonso, King, 330. 
Henry III. of France, 378. 

of Valois, 506. 
Heracleopolis, Egypt, 95, 116. 
Herder, Johann von, 467. 
Hermitage Palace, St. Petersburg, 480. 
Hermon, Mount, 176, 185. 
Hermopolis, Syra, 241. 
Hernani, Spain, 366. 
Hero, 222. 



Herod, 165, 169. 

Agrippa, 1 81. 
Herodotus, 90, 94. 
Herostratus, 215. 
Hieraconpolis, Egypt, 113. 
Hinnom, Valley of, 158. 
Hira, Mount, Mecca, 69. 
Hiram, King of Tyre, 150. 
Hissarlik, in the Troad, 219. 
History of Agrigentum (Girgenti), 272. 

Alexandria, 41. 

Antwerp, 388. 

Baalbek, 197. 

Beirut, 181. 

Bremen, 402. 

Constantinople, 226. 

Cordova, 315. 

Cyprus, 207. 

Damascus, 186. 

Ephesus, 213. 

Gibraltar, 290. 

Greece, recent, 243. 

Hague, 394. 

Hamburg, 405. 

Lisbon, 329. 

Lubeck, 407. 

Memphis, 90. 

Messina, 263. 

Moscow, 492. 

Norway, 423. 

Poland, 505. 

Stockholm, 447. 

St. Petersburg, 471. 

Syracuse, 276. 

Thebes, 105. 
Hitterdal Stavekirker, Norway, 434. 
Hofgarten, Vienna, 514. 
Holbein's Dance of Death, 408. 
Holland, 392-400. 
Holstein, counts of, 405. 

province of, 407. 
Holy City, Jerusalem, 156. 
Mecca, 71, 75. 
Moscow, 492. 

Family, refuge of, Cairo, 57. 

Gate of Moscow, 495. 



INDEX. 



537 



Holy Incarnation in the Koran, 74. 
Land, 152-17S. 
Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 157, 171, 

491. 
week in Seville, 296. 
Homer, 212, 219, 222.. 
Honorius, 338. 
Horace, 220. 

Hor-Hat, worship of, 113. 
Horologium, Athens, 254. 
Horsens, Denmark, 416. 
Horses, Norwegian, 427. 
Russian, 475. 
Syrian, 152, 195. 
Horus, the god, 45, 61, 114, 115, 126, 

128, 139. 
Hosmer, Miss Harriet, sculptor, 195. 
Hospitality in the Koran, 74. 
Egyptian, 103. 
Monkish, 169. 
Hospitallers, order of, 171. 
Hotama, the Moslem Hell, 7S. 
Hotel, a wretched, 273. 
Hotel de l'Etat Major, St. Petersburg, 
481. 
de Ville, Brussels, 385. 
de Ville, Dijon, 26. 
Hotels of Cairo, 48, 143. 
Moscow, 501. 
Norway, 425. 
Spain, 294. 
Vienna, 513. 
Hougoumont, Chateau, 387. 
Hovedb'en, island of, Norway, 425. 
Howling Dervishes, 55. 
Hunneberg, Mount, Sweden, 441. 
Huss, John, 83. 
Hymettus, Mount, 247, 251. 



I. 



Ibn-1-Ahmar, 304. 
Ida, Mount, 219. 
Idalium, Cyprus, 209. 
Ihlal, the Moslem, 77. 
He de la Conference, 367. 
Iliad, the, 221. 



Ilium (see Troy), 219, 220. 
Bus, King, 220. 

Imam, or minister of a mosque, 74. 
Immorality of the Cyprians, 207. 
India, discovery of, 330. 
Indus Ftiv r er, 66. 
Infidelity in the Koran, 74. 
Innocents, chapel of, Bethlehem, 169. 
Inquisition, Spanish, 357, 359. 
Intoxicating drinks in the Koran, 75. 
Inundation of the Nile, 88. 
Iridescence of glassware in the Di Ces- 

nola collection, 209. 
Iron foundries of Sweden, 444. 

period, 413. 
Irun, Spain, 366. 

Irving, Washington, 305, 306, 309, 313. 
Isabella (see Ferdinand axd Isabella). 

II. of Spain, 305, 347, 357. 

Queen of Portugal, 363. 
Ishmael, 71, 77. 
Isis, the goddess, 55, 115, 126, 127, 128. 

temple of, Philae, 118. 
Islam, faith of, 66-83. 
Ismail, Khedive, 50. 
Ismaileeyah, Cairo, 48. 
Ismailia, 144. 

Istria, Counts Capo d', 244. 
Italy, 36, 523. 
Ivan the Great, 494, 495. 

the Terrible, 490, 498, 499, 500. 

Veliki, tower of, 495. 
Izet Pasha, 50. 



Jacquard, statue of, 31. 

Jaffa, 149. 

Jamblichus, 128. 

Janissaries, 233, 497. 

Japhet, 207. 

Jason, 235. 

Jean sans Peur, tomb of, 26. 

Jeddah, 76. 

Jehoshaphat, valley of, 159. 

Jeremiah's Lamentations, 62, 187. 

Jerez, Spain, 294. 



35 



538 



INDEX. 



Jericho, 165. 

plain of, 163. 
Jerusalem, 68, 156-160. 
Jesuits, 507. 

Jesus, 57, 72, 157, 159, 191. 
Jewels, crown, of Russia, 479. 
Jewish quarter at Warsaw, 510. 
Jin, or genii of the Koran, 72. 
Joao (John) IV., Portugal, 330. 

V., Portugal, 340. 

VI., Portugal, 330. 
Job's Well, 155. 
John the Baptist's head, 191. 
Jomfru Hoist, 434. 
Jonah the prophet, 150, 491. 
Joppa, 150. 

Jordan River, 163, 491. 
Joseph and Asenath, 62. 
Joseph's Well, Cairo, 52. 
Josephus, 186. 
Joshua, 156, 165. 
Juan II. of Castile and Leon, 363. 

Don, of Austria, 347. 

Don, house of, Seville, 301. 
Judas, 159, 194. 

Jungfernstieg of Hamburg, 406. 
Jupiter, the god, 241. 

Olympius, temple of, 249, 273. 
Justice, hall of, Granada, 308. 

gate of, Granada, 310. 
Justinian, the emperor, 68, 226, 228. 
Jutland, 416. 

K. 

Ka'aba of Mecca, 53, 67, 68, 71, 76. 
Kadr, night of al, 80. 
iKafess of the Seraglio, 232. 
Kafrez-Zyab, Egypt, 46. 
Kalabsheh, Nubia, 129. 
Kalioob, Egypt, 46. 
Kalmar, act of union of, 418. 
Kant, Immanuel, 467. 
Kantarah, Suez Canal, 148. 
Karlsborg, Sweden, 444. 
Karnak, temple of, 109. 
Kasr-el-Nil, Egypt, 59, 87. 



Kaulbach, Prof. Wilhelm, 461, 
Kawass, a, 234. 
Kehl, Germany, 521. 
Keneh, Egypt, 99. 
Keramicus, Athens, 254. 
Ketmehr, the dog, 217. 
Khadfja, Mohammed's wife, 69. 
Khedive Ismail, 50. 

Tewfik, 50. 
Khons (see Chonso). 
Khutbeh, the Muslim, 77. 
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, 410. 
Kitai-Gorod, Moscow, 493. 
Kiswah, the Muslim, 76. 
Kneph, the god, 113, 139. 
Knights of St. John of Jerusalem 

(Knights of Malta), 210, 282, 471. 
Koh-i-noor diamond, 399. 
Kolding, Denmark, 416. 
Kolokol, Tsar, 495. 
Kom-Ombo, temple of, 114. 
Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, 411. 
Kongsberg, Norway, 428. 
Kb'nigsberg, Prussia, 467. 
Koorneh, temple of, 106. 
Koran, 70, 74, 78, 218. 
Koreish, tribe of, 6S, 69. 
Korosko, Nubia, 135. 
Kos, island of, 212. 
Kosciusko of Poland, 507. 
Kowno, Russia, 469. 
Kremlin of Moscow, 493-499. 
Kroll's Garden, Berlin, 458. 
Kronberg, Swedish artist, 452. 
Kronborg Castle, 419. 
Krukova, Russia, 491. 
Kulonia, Palestine, 156. 
Kungsgrotten, Sweden, 441. 
Kunsthalle of Bremen, 404. 

Hamburg, 406. 
Kiistrin, Prussia, 465. 
Kutuzoff, Marshal, 492. 



Laagen River, Norway, 429. 
Labyrinth of the Fayooin, 94. 



INDEX. 



539 



Lace manufacture in Brussels, 3S6. 
Ladies of Russia, 474. 

Vienna, 516. 

Warsaw, 509. 
Ladoga, Lake, 471. 
Lamartine, Alphonse de, 26. 
Lamoriciere, General, 383. 
Landes, France, 371. 
Landing in Africa, 38. 

Cyprus, 205. 

Germany, 455. 

Gibraltar, 289. 

Malta, 280i 

Palestine, 149. 

Spain, 293. 
Landscape, Dutch, 392. 

Polish, 511. 

Russian, 470, 504. 
Laomedon, King, 220. 
Laplanders, 427. 
Larnaka, Cyprus, 206. 
Latomia del Filosofo, Syracuse, 277. 
Latona, the goddess, 241. 
Latrun, Palestine, 155. 
Lazarus, 160, 208. 
Leander, 222. 
Lebanon Mountains, 185. 
Lebrija, Spain, 296. 
Legend of the Seven Sleepers, 217. 
Lena River, Siberia, 437. 
Lent, the Muslim, 75. 
Leopold I. of Belgium, 385. 
Lepere, M., civil engineer, 146. 
Lepsius, Karl Richard, 60, 62, 461. 
Lesseps, M. de, 145, 1 46. 
Leutze, Emanuel, artist, 404. 
Levant, 25, 66, 204-223. 
Leyden, Holland, 395. 
Library, Imperial, St. Petersburg, 481. 

of the Escorial, 356. 
Libyan Desert, 52. 
Lier, valley of, Norway, 428. 
Linant Bey, civil engineer, 105. 
Lind, Jenny, 449. 

Lindegren, Amalia, artist, 424, 452. 
Linkb'ping, Sweden, 454. 



Linnaeus, the naturalist, 452. 

Linz, Austria, 519. 

Lion of Lucerne, 414. 

Lions, Court of, Granada, 307. 

Lipari Islands, 267. 

Lisbon, 329. 

Livadia Gardens, St. Petersburg, 47S. 

Locking, Gotha Canal, 440. 

London Obelisk, 43, 44. 

Long days, 421. 

Long walls of Athens, 242. 

Louis XIV. of France, 26, 367, 368. 

XVI. of France, 414. 
Louvre, Paris, 381. 
Lualaba River, 64. 
Liibeck, 407. 
Ludwig I. of Bavaria, 520. 

II. of Bavaria, 520. 
Luggage, visiting, 436. 
Luiz I. of Portugal, 331. 
Lunar Year, the Muslim, 75. 
Lund, Sweden, 454. 
Lusitanians, 329. 
Luther, Martin, 83. 
Lutheran faith, 405, 447, 452. 
Liitzen, battle of, 451. 
Luxor, Egypt, 103. 
Lycabettus, Mount, 247. 
Lycurgus, 250. 
Lynch, Lieutenant, 162. 
Lyons, 29. 

Lysicrates, monument of, 250. 
Lysimachus, King, 214. 

M. 

Maan River, Norway, 433, 434. 
Maciejovice, battle of, 507. 
Macon, France, 29. 
Madagascar, discovery of, 330. 
Madeira, discovery of, 330. 
Madneh, or minaret, 73. 
Mafra Sanctuary, Portugal, 339. 
Magellan, the navigator, 301. 
Mahmoud II., of Turkey, 227, 233. 
Mahmal, the Muslim, 76. 
Mahomet (see Mohammed). 



540 



INDEX. 



Maid of Athene, 248. 
Makart, Hans, 207, 521. 
Malar Lake, Sweden, 446, 447. 
Malmo, Sweden, 454. 
Malta, 280-285. 
Mammeisi, 102. 

Manetho, the historian, 63, 105. 
Manfaloot, Egypt, 97. 
Manger, chapel of, Bethlehem, 168. 
Mannekin fountain, Brussels, 386. 
Mar Saba, monastery of, 170. 
Marathon, battle-field of, 255. 
Margaret, Queen of Scandinavia, 418. 
Marguerite of Valois, 377. 
Maria Louisa, wife of Napoleon, 383, 
518. 

Theresa of Austria, 518. 

Theresa, wife of Louis XIV., 367. 
Maridal, valley and lake of, 425. 
Marie Antoinette, 26. 
Marienburg, Prussia, 466. 
Marienlyst, Denmark, 419. 
Mariette Bey, 42, 54, 60, 62, 90, 111, 

122, 128, 407. 
Mark of Prophecy, Mohammed's, 69. 
Market- Place of Bremen, 403. 

of Cordova, 318. 
Marly, Peter the Great's residence, 487. 
Marmora, Sea of, 223, 225, 240. 
Marseilles, 32. 

Martha, sister of Lazarus, 1 60. 
Marwa, Mount, 76. 
Mary, sister of Lazarus, 160. 

the Virgin, in the Koran, 72. 

tomb of, 159. 
Masjid El-Nabawi, Medina, 68, 71. 
Matadores, 321. 
Matareeah, Egypt, 62. 
Matsys, Quentin, 391. 
Maubeuge, Erance, 383. 
Maut, the goddess, 115, 128. 
Maximilian of Mexico, 518. 
Maximum flood of the Nile, 88. 
Maynard, Hon. Horace, U. S. Minister 

to Turkey, 227, 241. 
Maynard, Mr. James, 219. 



Mazarin, Cardinal, 367. 

Mazeppa, 484. 

McMichael, Hon. Morton, 448. 

Mecca, 68, 75. 

Mechlin, Belgium, 388. 

Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 455. 

Medellin, Spain, 328. 

Mediaeval Period, Christian, 413. 

Medina, 68, 70, 75. 

Medina del Campo, Spain, 358. 

Medinet Abou, temple of, 108. 

Mediterranean Sea, 35-38, 149, 179- 

180, 204-210, 258-280, 285-289. 
Medoc wine district, 375. 
Mehallah, the steamboat, 86. 
Mehemet Ali (see Mohammed), 41, 44, 

50. 
Mehrab, or niche of a mosque, 74. 
Meissonier, artist, 395, 481. 
Memlooks, tombs of, 52, 58. 
Memnon, the Vocal, 108. 
Memnonium of Abydos, 121. 

Thebes, 107. 
Memphis, Egypt, 89, 90. 
Menchikoff, Prince, 487. 
Mendereh Kiver, the Troad, 219. 
Mendoza, Cardinal, 350, 353. 
Menelaus, 221. 
Menephtah III., 57. 
Menes of Egypt, 90, 121. 
Mercedes, Queen of Spain, 345, 357. 
Messiah, the, 83. 
Messina, 263-265. 

Strait of, 36, 262, 263. 
Metropolitan Museum, New York, 206. 
Mevlud, Festival of, 239. 
Meyer, Louis, artist, 395. 
Meyer von Bremen, artist, 404, 462. 
Michael Palace, St. Petersburg, 481. 
Michael, the archangel, 72. 
Midnight sun, 427, 453. 

twilight, 422. 
Milk Grotto, Bethlehem, 169. 
Miller, Prof. Ferd. von, 519. 
Milton, John, 99. 
Mina, Valley of, 77. 



IXDEX. 



541 



Minaret of a mosque, 73. 
Minerva, 252. 

statue of, Athens, 251. 

temple of, Cape Sunium, 242. 
Minieh, Egypt, 95. 
Minister, or imam, of a mosque, 74. 
Minotaur, British iron-clad, 280. 
Minsk, Russia, 503. 
Mirabeau, Honore Gabriel Riquetti de, 

33. 
Missolonghi, Greece, 243. 
Mitrahenny, Egypt, 90. 
Mjb'sen Lake, Norway, 428. 
Moab, land of, 161. 
Modern period, 413. 
Moen, island of, Denmark, 411. 
Moeris, Lake, Egypt, 94. 
Mohammed, the prophet, 66, 67, 68-83, 
90, 174. 

IL, Spain, 304. 

II., Turkey, 226, 235. 

II. , mosque of, 230. 

Ali, the viceroy, 44, 49, 51, 105, 
244. 

Ali, the dragoman, 86. 

Ali's mosque, 51, 87. 
Mohammedan era, 70. 

funeral, 45. 

Sunday, 72. 
Mohammedanism, 66. 
Mokattam Hills, Egypt, 52, 58, 87. 
Molde, Norway, 428. 
Monastery of St. Alexander Nevski, 

4S1. 
Money exchanging, 367, 511. 

Austrian, 512. 

Egyptian, 46, 47. 

of Alexandria, 39. 

Portuguese, 336. 

Russian, 476. 

Spanish, 294. 

Syrian, 189. 
Mongols, 494. 

Monitors at Stockholm, 449. 
Monplaisir, Russia, 487. 
Mons, Belgium, 384. 



Monserrate, Visconde de, 339. 

Mont St. Jean, Belgium, 387. 

Montaigne, 373. 

Montbard, France, 26. 

Monte Christo, Isle of, 36. 

Montelimar, France, 31. 

Montereau, France, 26. 

Montez, Lola, 520. 

Month of the Pilgrimage, Muslim, 75. 

Montijo, Spain, 328. 

Montilla, Spain, 314. 

Montmartre, France, 382. 

Monument at Waterloo, 388. 

Monuments of Berlin, 456, 457. 

St. Petersburg, 482. 
Moonlight at sea, 179. 
Moriah, Mount, 159, 172. 
Morocco, 67. 

Morrell, Hon. D. J., 455, 462. 
Moscatel wine, 295. 
Moscow, 492-502. 

gate, St. Petersburg, 490. 

Grand Duchy of, 490. 
Mosebacke, Stockholm, 449. 
Moses, finding of, 57. 

at Heliopolis, 62. 

a Muslim prophet, 72. 

tomb of, 161. 
Moskva River, 493. 
Mosleinuna, or Muslims, 70. 
Mosque, Achmedieh, Constantinople, 
229. 

of Bayezid IL, Constantinople, 230. 

at Cordova, 316. 

at Damascus, great, 191. 

El-Azhar, Cairo, 53. 

Eyoub, Constantinople, 229. 

Hasaneyn, Cairo, 53. 

Ka'aba, Mecca, 53, 67, 68, 71, 76. 

Mohammed IL, Constantinople, 
230. 

Mohammed Ali, Cairo, 51. 

of Omar, Jerusalem, 67, 160, 172. 

Omar, Old Cairo, 53. 

Prophet, Medina, 71. 

Santa Sophia, Constantinople, 228. 



542 



INDEX. 



Mosque, Sitteh, Cairo, 54, 74. 

Suleimanieh, Constantinople, 229. 

Tooloon, Cairo, 53. 
Motala, Sweden, 449. 
Mu'allaka, Syria, 196. 
Muezzin, or Mueddin, 73, 234. 
Mujik, Russian, 474. 
Munich, 519, 520. 
Munster, Germany, 402. 
Miinter, Mr. A. B., 454. 
Murad Effendi, Sultan, 237. 
Murillo, Bartolomene Esteban, 294, 299, 

301, 302, 348, 480. 
Museum, Amsterdam, 397. 

Antwerp, 390. 

Berlin, 460. 

Brussels, 385. . 

Cairo (Egyptian Antiquities), 54. 

Christiania, 424. 

Constantinople (Costumes of Janis- 
saries), 233. 

Copenhagen (Northern Antiqui- 
ties), 412. 
(Thorvaldsen), 413. 

Dijon, 26. 

Hague, 394, 395. 

Madrid (Naval), 347. 

Munich, 519. 

New York (Metropolitan), 206. 

Palermo (National), 268. 

Stockholm, 451. 

St. Petersburg (Imperial Carriages), 
481. 

Stuttgart, 521. 

Syracuse, 278. 
Muslim Creed, 226. 

Bible, 78. 
Myerib, Syria, 75. 
Mythology, Egyptian, 114, 127. 

Greek, 252, 255, 262. 

Scandinavian, 452. 
Mytilene, 218, 241. 

N. 
Nancy, France, 523. 
Naples, 36. 



Napoleon the Great, 26, 35, 146, 211, 
243, 330, 347, 359, 363, 383, 387, 
389, 405, 423, 470, 492, 493, 497, 
508, 518. 

II. (King of Rome), 518. 

III., 368, 383. 

Prince Imperial, 354, 431. 
Napoleon's forty centuries, 60. 
N'assjo, Sweden, 454. 
National Museum of Brussels, 385. 
Nativity, Church of, Bethlehem, 168. 
Navarino, Bay of, naval engagement 

in, 244. 
Nazareth, 176, 491. 
Neapolis, Sicily, 276. 
Neby Musa, Palestine, 161. 
Neckar River, 521. 
Necropolis of Abydos, 122. 
Nelson, Lord, 293. 
Nesenbach River, 521. 
Netherlands, 384-400, 511. 
Neva River, 471, 472. 
Nevski Prospekt, 473. 
New Church, Amsterdam, 397. 

Jerusalem monastery, Russia, 491. 
Niche, or mehrab of a mosque, 74. 
Nicholas, Czar, 483. 

Gate, Kremlin, 495. 
Night-calls to prayer, Muslim, 73. 
Night in an Arab village, 97. 

watchmen of Seville, 302. 
Nightingale, Florence, 232. 
Nijni-Novgorod, Russia, 502. 
Nike Apteros, temple of, Athens,* 251. 
Nikon, the patriarch, 491. 
Nile River, 51, 59, 84-142. 

sources of, 63. 

steamers, 85. 
Nilometer, 56. 
Nilsson, Christine, 449. 
Noah, 72, 150, 186. 
Noah's ark, 53. 
Nobility, Sicilian, 258. 
Nordenskjold, Prof., 437. 
Norrkoping, Sweden, 454. 
Norsholm, Sweden, 445. 



INDEX. 



543 



Norsk mile, 427. 
North Cape, 427. 

Sea, 395. 
Norway, 421-435. 
Norwegian travel, 425. 

village, 430. 
Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseilles, 33. 
Noum-Hotep, tomb of, 96. 
Novgorod, Russia, 495. 
Noyon, France, 333. 
Nubia, 84, 124-142. 
Nunneries in France, 369. 
Nyborg, Denmark, 410. 

O. 

Obelisk of Alexandria, 42-45. 

Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Con- 
stantinople, 232. 

Heliopolis, 63. 

Karnak, 110. 

London, 43. 

Luxor, at Paris, 109. 

St. Jean de Lateran, at Rome, 111. 
Odense, Denmark, 410. 
Odin, the god, 452. 
Ohod, battle of, 71. 
Old Cairo, 53, 55, 87. 

Style calendar, 256, 502. 

Testament in the Koran, 79. 
Oldenburg, 401. 
Ole Bolkesjo, 430. 
Olga, Queen of Greece, 245. 

Saint, 470. 
Olives, Mount of, 68, 159, 170. 
Olympium, temple of, Athens, 249. 
Omar, 67. 

mosque of, Cairo, 53. 

Jerusalem, 67, 160, 172. 
Omeyade caliphs, 67. 
Onion, Egypt, 144. 
Opera-house, Berlin, 458. 

Madrid, 346. 

Malta, 281. 

Paris, 382. 

Stockholm, 449. 

St. Petersburg, 481. 



Opera-house, Vienna, 516. 

Oporto, Portugal, 340. 

Oral law of Islam, 80. 

Orange, France, 31. 

Oranges, Court of, Cordova, 317. 

Egyptian, 62. 

Jaffa, 151. 

Messina, 263. 
Orangery, Potsdam, 463. 
Oranienbaum, palace of, 487. 
Origin of the Koran, 80. 
Orleans, France, 378. 
Orloff diamond, 399, 479. 
Ormidia, Cyprus, 208. 
Ortygia, Sicily, 277. 
Osborn, the Egyptologist, 42. 
Oscar I., King of Sweden and Norway, 
423. 

II., King of Sweden and Norway, 
423. 
Oscar's Tower, Christiania, 422. 
Osiris, the god, 55, 61, 107, 115, 116, 

118, 121, 126, 128, 131. 
Osirtesen I., Egypt, 62, 96, 109. 

III., Egypt, 141. 
Osman, 66, 226. 

Pasha, 194. 
Osmanli Sultans, 67, 226. 
Osnabriick, Germany, 402. 
Ostrov, Russia, 470. 
Othman, 80. 

Otho, King of Greece, 245. 
Ouenephes, King, 91. 
I Our Lady, church of, Copenhagen, 415. 
Overland route from Jerusalem to Da- 
mascus, 176. 



Pajarete, Spain, 295. 
Palace, Amsterdam, 397. 

Aranjuez, 343, 350. 

Berlin, 458. 

Brussels (of the Nation), 384. 

Cairo, 50, 65. 

Cintra (Pena), 337. 

Constantinople, 232. 



544 



INDEX. 



Palace, Copenhagen, 412. 

Dijon, 26. 

Hague, 394. 

Lisbon, 336. 

Lyons (Fine Arts), 31. 

Madrid, 346. 

Malta (Grand Master Knights of 
St. John), 283. 

Marseilles (Longchamps), 32. 

Moscow, 496. 

Palermo (Royal), 267. 

Paris (of Industry), 381. 

Peterhof, 487-488. 

Potsdam, 462-464. 

Seville (San Telmo), 297. 

Stockholm, 451. 

St. Petersburg (Winter), 478, 479. 

Stuttgart, 521. 

Tsarkoe Selo, 488. 

Vienna, 517. 

Warsaw, 511. 
Palermo, 266. 
Palestine, 156-178. 
Pallavicini, Marquis, 311. 
Palmyra, 195. 
Panathenaic stadium, 254. 
Pandroseum, 253. 
Pantellaria, island of, 288. 
Pantheon, a reproduction of, 284. 

of the Escorial, 356. 
Paphos, Cyprus, 207, 208. 
Parian marble, 242. 
Paris in summer, 381. 

winter, 25. 
Paris, son of King Priam, 221. 
Paros, island of, 242. 
Parthenon, Athens, 252. 
Partitions of Poland, 469, 507. 
Pasht, the goddess, 138. 
Passports, 38, 465, 366, 468, 511. 
Patmos, island of, 212. 
Paul, Emperor of Russia, 481. 

Veronese, 348. 
Peasantry, Norwegian, 426. 

Russian, 504. 
Pedi-o I., Emperor of Brazil, 331. 



Pedro the Cruel, of Spain, 361, 363. 

Gimenez wine, 295. 
• Peninsular and Oriental S. N. Co., 285. 
Pentelic marble, 255. 
Pentelicus, Mount, 247, 255. 
People of Warsaw, 510. 
Pepper-cake, Swedish, 446. 
Pera, Constantinople, 224, 225. 
Periods of prayer, Muslim, 73. 
Perseus, 150. 
Persia, 66. 
Persian Gulf, 75. 
Peter the Apostle, 150. 

the Great of Russia, 451, 471, 480, 
482, 497. 

II. of Russia, 483. 
Peterhof, Russia, 487. 
Petrified forest near Cairo, 59. 
Pharaoh of the Exodus, 57. 
Pharos of Alexandria, 45. 
Pharpar River, Syria, 176. 
Phases of the Nile, 88. 
Phidias, the sculptor, 251, 253. 
Philadelphia, Persea, 164. 
Phihe, Egypt, 44, 116, 198. 

Philip II. of Spain, 347, 350, 354, 357, 
359, 383, 389. 

III. of Spain, 359. 

IV. of Spain, 301. 

V. of Spain, 305, 346. 
of Burgundy, 313. 

of Macedon, 67. 
Phtah, the god, 91, 131. 
Piastre, 74. 
Picadores, 321. 

Picture gallery, royal, Madrid, 348. 
Pilate, Pontius, 158. 

house of, Seville, 300. 
Pilgrimage to Mecca, 72, 75, 78. 
Pillars of Hercules, 66. 
Pinacotheca, Athens, 250. 
Piraeus, Greece, 242. 
Pisistratus, 249. 

Pius VII., Thorvaldsen's monument 
to, 414. 

IX., 169. 



INDEX. 



545 



Pizarro, Francisco, 347, 348. 
Place Bellecour, Lyons, 30. 

de la Concorde, Paris, 381, 382. 

des Martyrs, Brussels, 385. 

Mehemet Ali, Alexandria, 40. 

del' Opera, Paris, 381. 
Platen, Baron Baltzar von, 438, 445. 
Pliny, the historian, 43. 
Pnyx, Athens, 254. 
Pococke, the Egyptologist, 63. 
Poitiers, France, 377. 
Poland, 46S-469, 505-512. 
Polar Star diamond, 400. 
Poli, Cyprus, 20S. 
Poltava, battle of, 484, 507. 
Polygamy in the Koran, 74. 
Polyphemus, 262. 
Pombal, Marquis of, 330. 
Pompadour, Mme. de, 378. 
Pompey's Pillar, 38, 45. 
Poniatowski of Poland, 507. 
Poonah, the steamer, 285. 
Port Said, 149. 
Portugal, 328-342. 
Poseidon, 241. 
Potemkin, Prince, 4S2. 
Potiphar, wife of, 52. 
Potsdam, Prussia, 462-464. 
Potter Paul, 395. 
Prado of Madrid, 344. 

Marseilles, 33. 
Prater Park, Vienna, 514. 
Praxiteles, 216. 

Prayer the key of Paradise, 72. 
Prescott, William IL, the historian, 358. 
Priam, king of Troy, 220. 
Priam's palace (supposed), 220. 
Prices of admission to Bull-fight, 321. 
Prim, General, tomb of, 346. 
Princess of Wales, 411. 
Principles of El-Islam, 72. 
Prinsdens palace, Copenhagen, 412. 
Promenade in Bayonne, 370. 
Burgos, 364. 
Damascus, 194. 
Madrid, 341. 



Promenade in Seville, 297. 

St. Petersburg, 474, 477. 
Prometheus Chained, 348. 
Pronaos of a temple, 100. 
Prophet's mosque, Medina, 68. 
Propylon of a temple, 132. 
Protestant college, Beirut, 182. 
Psammetichus, 60. 
Pskov, Russia, 470. 
Ptolemy Euergetes IL, 118. 

Philadelphus, 118, 145, 164. 

Philopator, 108, 113. 

Soter, 41. 
Puerta del Sol, Madrid, 344. 
Pydon of a temple, 100. 
Pylon of a temple, 100. 
Pyramid, origin of the word, 92. 
Pyramids of Abooser, 88. 

Dashoor, 88, 93. 

Ghizeh, 51, 52, 59, 87. 

Sakkarah, 52, 88, 90, 91. 



Quarantana, the, 166. 
Quarries at Baalbek, 201. 

Paros, 242. 

Pentelicus, Mount, 255. 

Syene, 44, 117. 

Toora, 87. 
Quatre Bras, Belgium, 388. 
Quevy, Belgium, 383. 
Quicksilver mines at Almaden, 343. 

R. 

Ra (see Heliopolis). 

Raaineh, Egypt, 98. 

Rabea el Awwal, the third month, 71. 

Racotis, Egypt, 42. 

Railroads, Egyptian, 46. 

French, 376, 377. 

German, 401, 465. 

Russian, 465, 469, 489, 503. 

Scandinavian, 436, 454. 

Sicilian, 271, 274. 

Spanish, 303, 328. 
Ramadan, month or fast, 69, 72, 75, 80. 



546 



INDEX. 



Rameses II., 43, 57, 91, 106, 107, 109, 
110, 121, 130, 135, 137. 

III., 109. 

IV., 106. 
Rameseum, 107. 
Ramleh, Egypt, 41. 

Holy Land, 153. 
Raphael, the archangel, 72. 

the artist, 348, 358, 463. 
Rathhaus of Berlin, 460. 

Bremen, 403. 

Liibeck, 408. 

Osnabriick, 402. 
Rathskeller of Bremen, 403. 
Rauch's Queen Louisa, 459. 
Rebekah, 202. 
Red convent, Soohag, Egypt, 99. 

Staircase, Kremlin, 497. 

water period of the Nile, 88. 

wines of the Graves district, 375. 
Redeemer of Smolensk, 495. 
Reformation, the, 389, 402. 
Regent of France diamond, 400. 
Reichstadt, Duke of, 518. 
Reichstag, the German, 460. 
Reign of Terror, 30. 
Reja of the Toledo cathedral, 352. 
Relics in cathedrals of the Kremlin, 

498, 499. 
Rembrandt, 395, 397. 
Renaissance period, 413. 
Restaurant in the mountains of Judaea, 
155. 

on the Suez Canal, 148. 
Restauration book, Swedish, 443. 
Return of the Muslim pilgrimage, 77. 
Revelations, the Koranic, 80. 
Revolution, Belgian, 385. 

Polish, 508. 
Rheine, Germany, 401, 402. 
Rhigas, the Thessalian poet, 243. 
Rhine River, 87, 523. 
Rhoda, island of, 57, 87. 
Rhodes, island of, 210. 
Rhone River, 30. 
Ribera, artist, 348. 



Riddarholms Church, Stockholm, 450. 
Riding-school of Moscow, 500. 
Rigsdag, Danish, 412. 
Ringstead, Denmark, 410. 
Ringstrasse of Vienna, 513, 517. 
Rise of the Nile, 88. 
Rites at Mecca, 76. 
Rjukan Falls, Norway, 433. 
Robespierre, 30. 
Rocio, Lisbon, 333. 
Roeskilde, Denmark, 418. 
Roken Tunnel, Norway, 428. 
Roland, the Bremen, 404. 
Romanoff, house of, 490. 
Romdals Amt, Norway, 428. 
Roosendaal, Holland, 392. 
Rosenborg palace, Copenhagen, 412. 
Rosenstein, villa of, Stuttgart, 521. 
Rosetta stone, 101, 118. 
Rotterdam, 393. 
Roumeli Hissar, castle of, 235. 
Routes of the pilgrimage, Muslim, 75. 
Roxen Lake, Sweden, 445. 
Royal family of Denmark, 418. 
palace, Amsterdam, 397. 

Berlin, 458. 

Madrid, 346. 

Potsdam, 462. 

Stockholm, 451. 
picture-gallery, Copenhagen, 412. 

Madrid, 348. 
Rubber travelling-suits, 154, 425. 
Rubens, Peter Paul, 348, 389, 390. 
Ruble, the, 476. 
Rurik and his dynasty, 490. 
Russia, 465-504. 
Russian army in Turkey, 237. 

bath, a, 487. 
Russo-Greek devotion, 474, 475, 501. 

S. 

Sabaeans, the, 74. 
Sa'eed of Egypt, 44, 98. 
Safa, hill of, 69, 76. 
Sahara, desert of, 52. 






INDEX. 



547 



Said, steamship, 35. 

Sakiyah, the Egyptian, 133. 

Sakkarah, pyramids of, 52, 88, 90, 91. 

Saladin, 51, 154, 210. 

Salah, the Muslim prayer, 73. 

Salamis, Cyprus, 208. 

battle of, 214, 241. 
Saltholm, island of, 411. 
Salzburg, 519. 
Samaria, 176. 
Samaritan, the good, 166. 
Samos, isle of, 212. 
San Cervantes, castle of, Toledo, 351. 

Gregorio, church of, Messina, 265. 

Sebastian, Spain, 366. 

Stefano, Turkey, 238. 
Sanci diamond, 400. 
Sandviken, Norway, 428. 
Sans Souci, Potsdam, 463. 
Santa Fe, Spain, 314. 
Santa Maria la Blanca, church of, To- 
ledo, 351. 

Sophia, mosque of, Constantinople, 
68, 226, 228. 
Saone River, 30. 
Sappho, the poetess, 218. 
Saracens, 71, 154. 
Satan of the Koran, 72. 
Sate, the deity, 139. 
Sauterne wine district, 376. 
Savak, the god, 114. 
Saxe, Marshal, monument to, 322. 
Saxo-Grammaticus, 418, 419. 
Scamander River, the Troad, 219, 220. 
Scandal, Mount of, 159. 
Scheveningen, Holland, 395. 
Schiedam, Holland, 393. 
Schliemann, Dr., 220. 
Schools, Christian, Baalbek, 202. 

Bebek, Turkey, 235. 

Beirut, 182. 

Cairo, 54. 
Schotel, the artist, 395. 
Schuch, Prof., the artist, 406. 
Scio, isle of, 212, 240. 
Scopas, the sculptor, 215. 



Scutari, Constantinople, 224. 

Scylla, 263. 

Sea-sickness, remedy for, 205. 

Sebaste, the, 43. 

Seine River, 381. 

Selim I., 67. 

Senate, Belgian, 384. 

Spanish, 349. 
Sens, France, 26. 
Sepulchre, holy, 157, 171. 
Seraglio, Constantinople, 231. 
Seraphim, order of the, 450. 
Seraskierat, Constantinople, 233. 
Serfs, condition of, 504. 
Servantes de Marie nunnery, 369. 
Service in a mosque, a, 74. 
Sestos, Thrace, 222. 
Seth (see Typhon). 
Sethi I., 106, 109, 110, 116, 121. 
Seven Towers, castle of, Constantinople, 
233. 

Floors, tower of, Alhambra, 304. 
Seven Years' War, 463. 
Seville, Spain, 296-302. 
Seyyidah Zeyneb, mosque, Cairo, 54, 

74. 
Sexa, Swedish, 454. 
Shah diamond, 400. 
Shakspeare, 419, 420. 
Sharon, plain of, 153. 
Sharpe, the historian, 62. 
Sbawal, Muslim month of, 75. 
Shell Hall, Potsdam, 463. 
Sheriffe, Grand, of Mecca, 78. 
Sherry wine, 295. 
Sheshonk I., 144. 
Shishak, King, 144. 
Shoobra palace, Cairo, 64. 

road, Cairo, 49. 
Shtora, Syria, 186, 195. 
Sicilian Vespers, 259. 
Sicily, 257-279. 
Sickness on a dahabeeah, 120. 
Sidney, Sir Philip, 402. 
Sigismund I. of Poland, 506. 

II. of Poland, 506. 



548 



INDEX. 



Silk manufacture, Lyons, 31. 

Siloam, pool of, 158. 

Silsilis, Egypt, 113. 

Simbach, Bavaria, 519. 

Simois River, the Troad, 219. 

Simon the Tanner's house, 150. 

Sisters, hall of the Two, Granada, 309. 

Sjotorp, Sweden, 442. 

Skagen, Denmark, 417. 

Skager Rack, 417, 422. 

Skaw, Denmark, 417. 

Skeppsholm, Stockholm, 449. 

Skobelef, General, 239. 

Slanderer in the Koran, 79. 

Sleepers, Seven, grotto and legend of, 

217. 
Smolensk, Russia, 503. 
Smorgasbrod, Swedish, 443. 
Smyrna, 212. 
Sobieski, John, 506. 
Sodertelge, Sweden, 446, 454. 
Soli, Cyprus, 208. 
Solomon, King, 197. 

pool of, 158, 169. 
Solomon's Temple, 67, 68, 172. 
Soohag, Egypt, 99, 123. 
Sophocles, 250. 
Southern Cross, 116, 140. 
Souvaroff, Marshal, 483. 
Spain, 66, 292-327, 343-367. 
Spaniards' treatment of travellers, 315, 

367. 
Spanish steamer, a, 292. 
Sphinx, the great, 61. 

of Harmachis, 45. 
Spires, highest, 407. 
Sponge-fishing at Symi, 211. 
Spree River, 456. 
Squares, public, Lisbon, 333. 
St. Agatha, legend of, 259. 
St. Antonias, tower of, 159. 
St. Bridget's shrine, Sweden, 444. 
St. Croix, church of, Bordeaux, 373. 
St. Denis, France, 382. 
St. George, 57, 99, 154. 
St. Jacques, church of, Antwerp, 390. 



St. James, grotto of, 159. 

St. Jean de Luz, France, 367. 

St. Jerome, tomb of, 169. 

St. John, chapel of, Lisbon, 332. 

church of, Malta, 282. 

of Jerusalem, Knights of, 171, 210, 
282, 471. 
St. Lazarus, church of, Larnaka, 208. 
St. Luke, 284, 498. 
St. Mark, 277. 
St. Mary, church of, Bethlehem, 168. 

church of, Lubeck, 408. 

church of, Osnabriick, 402. 

of Jerusalem, Knights of, 466. 

pool of, 158. 
St. Michael, church of, Bordeaux, 373. 

church of, Dijon, 26. 
St. Nicholas, church of, Hamburg, 406. 

church of, Stockholm, 451. 
St. Nizier, church of, Lyons, 31. 
St. Olga, 470, 471. 
St. Ouen, Rouen, spire of, 407. 
St. Paul, 187, 216, 277, 283. 

church of, Antwerp, 390. 
St. Pauli, Hamburg, 406. 
St. Petersburg, 471-489. 
St. Philip, Archbishop of Russia, 498. 
St. Quentin, France, 383. 
St. Roque, church of, Lisbon, 332. 
St. Saviour's Church, Christiania, 422. 
St. Seurin of Bordeaux, 373. 
St. Stephen's gate, 159. 
St. Thomas, church of, Strasburg, 522. 
St. Trophimus, 284. 
St. Vincent de Paul, birthplace of, 371. 
Stables, King of Wurtemberg's, 521. 

royal, Madrid, 347. 
Stockholm, 451. 
Stained glass at Munich, 519. 
Stamboul, Constantinople, 67, 224. 
Stanley, Henry M., 63. 
State mosque of Turkey, 68. 
Steamboats on the Nile, 85. 
Stewart diamond, 400. 
Stieler, Joseph, artist, 520. 
Stilt walking in the Landes, 372. 



INDEX. 



549 



Stockholm, 446-454. 

Storks in Strasburg, 522. 

Storthing of Norway, 424. 

Strabo, the historian, 214, 219, 319. 

Straight Street, in Damascus, 193. 

Stralsund, Mecklenburg, 455. 

Strand, Norway, 432. 

Strasburg, Germany, 521. 

Strauss Brothers, Vienna, 514. 

Strelitz, New, 455. 

Streltsi, the, 497. 

Stromboli, Mount, 266. 

Stuttgart, 521. 

Sub Rosa, application of, 404. 

Sublime Porte, 227. 

Suez, 144. 

Canal, 144-149. 
Sugar factory on the Nile, 95. 
Suleiman the Magnificent, 210. 
Suleimanieh, mosque of, Constantinople, 

68, 229. 
Sunnah, the, 80. 
Sunrise in Egypt, 89. 
Sunset in Egypt, 52, 89, 133. 
Suras of the Koran, 78. 
Suwar Ibn Hamdun, 304. 
Sweden, 436-445. 
Swedenborg, Emanuel, 449. 
Swedish countess, a, 445. 

English, 439, 448. 
Sweet Waters of Europe, vale of, 234. 
Swine's flesh in the Koran, 75. 
Swiss guard, monument to, 414. 
Sword in the Koran, the, 82. 
Swords of Damascus, 189. 

Toledo, 353. 
Syce, the Egyptian, 49. 
Syene, Egypt, 42,44, 117. 
Symi, isle of, 211. 
Syrnplegades, 235. 
Syra, isle of, 241, 257. 
Syracuse, 275. 
Syria, 66, 68, 179-203. 
Syrian Protestant college, 183. 
Syrians, character of, 163, 180. 
Szczakowa, Austrian frontier, 511. 



T. 

Tabor, Mount, Palestine, 176. 
Tadmor in the Wilderness, 195. 
Tagus River, 329. 
Tangiers, Morocco, 293. 
Tantah, Egypt, 46. 
Taormina, Sicily, 262. 
Tarifa, Spain, 293. 
Tarik, 66. 

Taxation in Egypt, 89. 
Taylor, Bayard, 428, 434. 
Tea-drinking, Russian, 502. 
Teatro Real, Madrid, 346. 
Teckh, Russ, and Leckh, 505. 
Tehneh, Egypt, 95. 
Tel Basta, Egypt, 144. 
Tel-el-Baroot, Egypt, 46. 
Telemarken, Norway, 428. 
Temenos of a temple, 100. 
Temple, Aboo Simbel, Nubia, 137. 

Amada, Nubia, 141. 

Athor (Pharaoh's bed), 114. 

Bayt-el-Wally, Nubia, 130. 

Cgesarium, Alexandria, 42. 

Concord, Agrigentum, 272. 

Dabod, Nubia, 126. 

Dakkeh, Nubia, 132. 

Demeter, Eleusis, 255. 

Denderah, Egypt, 100. 

Diana, Ephesus, 215. 
Syracuse, 278. 

Edfoo, Egypt, 113. 

Erechtheum, Athens, 252. 

Esneh, Egypt, 112. 

Gerf Hossayn, Nubia, 131. 

Gertassi, Nubia, 127. 

Isis, Philse, 118. 

Jupiter, Baalbek, 200. 

Olympius, Agrigentum, 273. 
Athens, 249. 

Kalabsheh, Nubia, 129. 

Karnak, Thebes, 109. 

Kom-Ombo, Egypt, 114. 

Luxor, Egypt, 109. 

Medinet Abou, Thebes, 108. 

Memnonium, Abydos, 121. 



550 



INDEX. 



Temple, Memnonium, Thebes, 107. 

Minerva, Syracuse, 278. 

Nike Apteros, Athens, 251. 

Pantheon, Rome, 284. 

Parthenon, Athens, 252. 

Rameses II., Abydos, 122. 

Saviour, Moscow, 509. 

Selinus, Sicily, 271. 

Solomon's, Jerusalem, 159, 160, 172. 

Sun, Baalbek, 198. 
Heliopolis, 57. 
Palmyra, 195. 

Theseum, Athens, 254. 
Temptation, Forty Days', 166. 
Tenedos, island of, 219, 240. 
Teniers, artist, 348. 
Tenos, island of, 241. 
Terema Palace, Moscow, 497. 
Tergnier, France, 383. 
Teucer, King, 220. 
Teutoburgian Forest, 402. 
Tewfik, Khedive, 50. 
Theatre, Carl, Vienna, 517. 

Concordia, Constantinople, 233. 

Dionysiac, Athens, 250. 

Dona Maria II., Lisbon, 333. 

Flamand, Antwerp, 391. 

Grand, Bordeaux, 372. 

Great, St. Petersburg, 481. 

Manoel, Valetta, 281. 

National, Copenhagen, 411. 

Royal, Madrid, 346. 

Stockholm, 449. 

Valetta, 281. 

Theatres of Berlin, 458. 

Thebes, Egypt, 105, 319. 

Theodore L, Russia, 490. 

II., Russia, 491. 
Theodoric, 329. 

Theodosius the Great, 216, 226, 301. 
Therapia, Turkey, 235. 
Thermusis, daughter of Pharaoh, 57. 
Theseum, Athens, 254. 
Thiergarten, Berlin, 459. 
Thirty Years' War, 402, 405, 437, 445. 
This (see Abydos). 



Thor, the god, 452. 

Thorvaldsen, Bertel, 411, 413, 415, 511. 

Thothmes I., 110, 111. 

II., 42, 110, 141. 

III., 42, 43, 45, 110, 141. 
Thousand and One Columns, Constan- 
tinople, 233. 
Through the Dark Continent, 64. 
Tiberias, Palestine, 176. 
Tiberius, Emperor, 43. 
Tiedemand, Adolph, artist, 424, 452. 
Tih, tomb of, 92. 
Timsah, Lake, Egypt, 144. 
Tind Falls, Norway, 435. 

Lake, Norway, 431. 
Tinoset, Norway, 431. 
Tinsjo, or Lake Tind, 431. 
Tintoretto, the artist, 348. 
Titian, the artist, 348, 356, 358. 
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, 416. 

Stockholm, 449. 
Tobacco factory, Seville, 301. 
Toledo, Spain, 350-354. 
Tolls in the Sound, Danish, 418. 
Tolly, Barclay de, 483, 492. 
Tolosa, Spain, 366. 
Tomb of Cecrops, Athens, 253. 

Christ, Jerusalem, 157. 

Jean sans Peur, Dijon, 26. 

Montaigne, Bordeaux, 373. 

Moses (Muslim), Palestine, 161. 

Osiris, Abydos, 122. 

Prim, General, Madrid, 346. 

Rachael, Holy Land, 167. 

Ruyter, Admiral de, Amsterdam, 
397. 

Saladin, Damascus, 192. 

St. George, the dragon slayer, 154. 
the porter, 194. 

St. Jerome, Bethlehem, 169. 

Theron, Syracuse, 273. 

Tih, Memphis, 92. 

Virgin Mary, Jerusalem, 159. 
Tombs, Beni Hassan, Egypt, 96. 

Bulls, sacred, Memphis, 92. 

Crocodiles, Egypt, 98. 



INDEX. 



551 



Tombs, Ferdinand and Isabella, 312. 

Imperial, Constantinople, 230. 
St. Petersburg, 483. 

Jehosbapbat and Absalom, 159. 

Joseph and Nicodeinus, 158. 

Kings, Egyptian, Thebes, 106. 

Philip of Burgundy and Juana, 
313. 

Primates of Russia, Moscow, 498. 

Seville Cathedral, 299. 

Sovereigns, Russian, Moscow, 498. 
Tonnerre, France, 26. 
Tooloon, mosque of, Cairo, 53. 
Toora quarries, Egypt, 87. 
Tophaneh, Constantinople, 225. 
Toppo Fall, Sweden, 441. 
Toreadors, 321. 
Toreros, 321. 

Tourists' Club, Norway, 434. 
Tours, France, 377. 
Tower, Comares, Alhambra, 306. 

David's, Jerusalem, 158. 

Genoese, Constantinople, 233. 

Giralda, Seville, 298. 

Hotel de Ville, Brussels, 385. 

Ivan Veliki, Moscow, 495. 

Ramleh, Holy Land, 154. 

San Gregorio, Messina, 265. 

Seraskierat, Constantinople, 233. 

Siete Suelos, Alhambra, 304. 

St. Antonias, Jerusalem, 159. 

Vela, de la, Alhambra, 303. 

Vermilion, Granada, 310. 

Watch, Holy Land, 153. 
Trafalgar, Cape, 293, 347. 
Trajan, Emperor, 301. 
Transparente of Toledo Cathedral, 352. 
Trave River, Germany, 407, 411. 
Travelling in Holy Land, 152. 

Norway, 425-428. 

Sicily, 274. 

Syria, 184, 195, 196. 
Treasury of Moscow, 496. 

Turkey, 231. 
Treaties of Vienna, 282, 405, 512. 
Treaty of Adrianople, 244. 



Treaty of Cintra, 330, 339. 

Kiel, 423. 

Paris (1856), 181. 

Pyrenees, 367. 

San Stefano, 237. 

Sound, the, 419. 

Utrecht, 290, 401. 

Westphalia, 389, 397, 402. 
Trenton, U. S. steamer, 212, 242, 246. 
Trinacria, 265. 
Trinity column, Vienna, 515. 
Troad, Asia Minor, 219. 
Trocadero, Paris, 381. 
Troika, Russian, 477. 
Trollhattan, Falls of, Sweden, 440. 
Tromso, Norway, 427. 
Trondhjem, Norway, 427. 
Tros, Asia Minor, 220. 
Troy, 219. 

Tsarskoe Selo, palace of, 488. 
Turkey in Europe, 75, 225-239. 
Turpentine production in France, 371. 
Tuscany, Grand Duke of, diamond, 400. 
Tver, Russia, 491. 

Twelve Apostles, by Thorvaldsen, 415. 
Tyche, Sicily, 276. 

Typhon, the Evil Spirit, 61, 115, 128, 
139. 

U. 

Ulm, Germany, 521. 
Ulricksdal, Sweden, 448. 
Ulysses, 262, 329. 

United kingdom of Sweden and Nor- 
way, 423. 
University, Athens, Greece, 246. 

Helsingfors, Finland, 453. 

Konigsberg, Germany, 467. 

Leyden, Holland, 395. 

Lund, Sweden, 454. 

Moslem, Cairo, 53, 68. 

Robert, American, Turkey, 235. 

Syrian, Protestant, Beirut, 182. 

Upsala, Sweden, 452. 
Universum, Vienna, 515. 
Unter den Linden, Berlin, 456. 



552 



INDEX. 



Upper Egypt, 44, 103-123. 
Upsala, Sweden, 452. 
Uriel, the archangel, 72. 
Usurpation, Castilian, 330. 
Usury in the Koran, 75. 
Utrecht, Holland, 401. 
Utrera, Spain, 296. 
Uz, grandson of Noah, 186. 

V. 

Vaa, Norway, 433. 

Valdai Hills, Russia, 491. 

Valence, France, 31. 

Valetta, Malta, 211, 281, 282. 

Valette, John de la, 211, 282. 

Valladolid, Spain, 359. 

Vandalia, U. S. steamer, 36. 

Van Dyck, Anthony, 348, 390. 

Varangians, 490. 

Vase, Alhambra, 309. 

Vases, Cypriote, 209. 

Vaults of Dresden, Green, 29, 232. 

Vautier, artist, 406. 

Vaz, Portuguese navigator, 330. 

Velazquez, Diego Rodriguez, de Silva, 

301, 346, 480. 
Venern, Lake, Sweden, 442. 
Venice of the North, 446. 
Venus, birth of, 207. 

de Medici, 348. 

in Cyprus, 209. 

Landolina, 278. 

of Aries, 32. 

the Egyptian, 108, 117. 

Thorvaldsen's, 414. 
Verboeckhoven, artist, 406. 
Vermilion Towers, Granada, 311. 
Vermin, 156, 280, 425. 
Vernet, Horace, 395. 
Vettern, Lake, Sweden, 442. 
Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, 158. 
Viborg, Denmark, 417. 
Victory monument, Berlin, 457. 
Vienna, 67, 506, 513-518. 
Vienne, France, 31. 



Viken Lake, Sweden, 442. 
Virgin's tree, Egypt, 61. 
Viriathus, 329. 
Visigoths, 329. 
Vistula River, 446, 509. 
Vittoria, Spain, 365. 
Vladimir the Great, 471. 
Volga River, 491. 
Volksgarten, Vienna, 514. 
Voltaine at Sans Souci, 463. 
Voring Fos, Norway, 428. 
Voskresenski Convent, Russia, 491. 
Vows of silence by nuns, 369. 
Voyagers on the Nile, 85. 
Vretakloster, Sweden, 445. 
Vulcan, the god, 266. 
Vyshni-Volochok, Russia, 491. 

W. 

"Wadstena, Sweden, 444. 
Wady-el-Hod, Palestine, 160. 

-er-Ramleh, Palestine, 154. 

Halfah, Nubia, 136. 

Sabooah, Nubia, 134. 
Wager, a novel, 515. 
"\Yagram, battle of, 512. 
Wailing-place of the Jews, 159. 
Wa'izin, Muslim, 54. 
Wallenstein, 437, 451, 455. 
Walls, Agrigentum, Sicily, 272. 

Alhambra, Granada, 306. 

Amsterdam, Holland, 396. 

Antwerp, Belgium, 389. 

Athens, Greece, 242. 

Cordova, Spain, 318. 

Damascus, Syria, 193. 

Jericho, Holy Land, 165. 

Jerusalem, Holy Land, 156, 160. 

Kremlin, Moscow, 494. 

Smolensk, Russia, 503. 

Stamboul, Turkey, 236. 

Syracuse, Sicily, 275. 

Valetta, Malta, 282. 
War against unbelievers in the Koran, 
74. 



INDEX. 



553 



War, Franco-Prussian, 382, 522. 

Grecian Independence, 243. 

Russo-Turkish, 194, 236, 239. 

Seven Tears', 463. 

Spanish Succession, 401. 

Thirty Tears', 402, 405, 409, 437. 
Warsaw, Poland, 509-511. 
Washington, the mail steamer, 403. 
Water-carriers of Lisbon, 334. 
Water-drinking in Vienna, 515. 
Water-witches, home of the, 441. 
Waterloo, battle of, 387-388. 
Well, Muslim, holy, 77. 
Wellington, Duke of, 32S, 359, 365, 367, 

387. 
Wels, Austria, 519. 
Wenern, Lake, Sweden, 442. 
Wenersborg, Sweden, 441. 
Wesel, Nieder, Prussia, 401. 
Weser River, Germany, 402. 
Westphalia, peace of, 289, 397, 402. 
Wettern, Lake, Sweden, 444. 
Whately, Miss, Cairo, 123. 
White Eagle of Poland, 505. 

monastery, Soohag, Egypt, 99. 

wines of the Gironde, 375, 376. 
Wickliffe, John, 83. 
Wiertz Museum, Brussels, 385. 
Wierzbolow, Russian frontier, 468. 
Wilkinson, Sir Gardner, 43, 62. 
William I., Germany, 464. 
I., Wurtemberg, 521. 

III., Holland, 394. 
Wilna, Russia, 469. 
Wilson, Erasmus, 44. 
Windmills of Holland, 393. 

of Portugal, 336. 
Wines, Bordeaux, 373-376. 

Burgundy, 29. 

Cyprus, 208. 

Macon, 29. 

Port, 340, 342. 

Sherry, 294, 295, 314. 
Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, 478, 479. 
Winterhalter, artist, 395. 
Women, Basque, 365. 



Women, Cyprian, 207. 

Egyptian, 41. 

Greek, 248. 

Hindostanee, 287. 

Mohammedan, 74. 

Norwegian, 430, 431. 

Polish, 509. 

Russian, 474. 

Sicilian, 259. 

Spanish, 297, 345. 

Syrian, 194. 

Turkish, 234. 

Viennese, 516. 
Wouvermans, Philip, artist, 395. 
Wurtemberg, 521. 



X. 

Xerxes, 214, 241, 256. 
Ximenes, Cardinal, 350. 
Mateo, 313. 



Taukee astray, 445. 

Tawcup, the cariole-boy, 429. 

Tawm al Joina, the Muslim Sunday, 72. 

Tear, the Muslim, 75. 

Telagin Island, St. Petersburg, 477. 

Toosef L, King of Granada, 304. 

Tssel River, Netherlands, 402. 



Zacatin, Granada, 311. 

Zaccha^us, 165. 

Zahleh, Syria, 195. 

Zagazig, Egypt, 144. 

Zanzibar, Africa, 64. 

Zarco, Portuguese navigator, 330. 

Zealand, 410, 411, 418. 

Zeid, Mohammed's adopted son, 81. 

Zeinab-bint-Jahsh, the beauty, 81. 

Zeinlanoi-Gorod, Moscow, 493. 



36 



554 



INDEX. 



Zemzen, well of, Mecca, 77. 
Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, 195. 
Zodiac at Denderah, 101. 

Esneh, 113. 
Zu'lheggeh, Muslim month of, 75, 77. 



Zu'lka'adeh, Muslim month of, 75. 
Zumarraga, Spain, 366. 
Zutphen, Holland, 402. 
Zuyder Zee, Holland, 396. 
| Zwolle, Holland, 401. 



THE END. 



